Mr. Brian Oram is a licensed professional geologist and soil scientist with over 30 years experience in applied earth and environmental science and education.
Brian has developed targeted outreach programs to private well owners and city water users throughout the world and has assisted with watershed assessments, testing, and education programs in developing countries and the USA.
Brian has conducted research and consulting projects related to the following: acid mine drainage (AMD), lake and stream monitoring programs, wetland creation and monitoring, drinking water filtration plant performance evaluations, groundwater under the direct influence assessments, troubleshooting drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities, testing new point of use water treatment devices and systems, hydrogeological evaluations, geological investigations, soils testing, soil morphological evaluations, water well drilling and construction, land-based stormwater and wastewater management, groundwater artificial recharge, drinking water testing, developing a private well owner mail order water testing, education, and outreach program, grassroots based private well water testing programs, “certified” third party sampler training programs, and watershed assessments.
Brian has conducted research and consulting projects related to the following: acid mine drainage (AMD), lake and stream monitoring programs, wetland creation and monitoring, drinking water filtration plant performance evaluations, groundwater under the direct influence assessments, troubleshooting drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities, testing new point of use water treatment devices and systems, hydrogeological evaluations, geological investigations, soils testing, soil morphological evaluations, water well drilling and construction, land-based stormwater and wastewater management, groundwater artificial recharge, drinking water testing, developing a private well owner mail order water testing, education, and outreach program, grassroots based private well water testing programs, “certified” third party sampler training programs, and watershed assessments.
Brian has also been involved with Citizen Monitoring and other Environmental Training Programs for groups within the United States, Europe, and even the former Soviet Union and was involved in the early phases of the development of citizen science monitoring programs in Pennsylvania through the Susquehanna River Tri-State Association and others.
A very recent development for Mr. Oram is his interest in linking the various water quality, environmental, and health information into one platform that can be used to educate and inform the community and support grassroot efforts using fact based information to make change and improve the conditions on the great big "Blue Ball".
Dr. Brian Redmond is a licensed professional geologist and a retired professor of geology and chemistry from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Geology & Chemistry. He directed water well drilling and testing in the Dominican Republic for six years in the Peace Corps, worked on water projects after disasters in Honduras and Venezuela, and was president of HydroTech Ltd., which consulted on groundwater development and contamination in the NE U.S.
Amy Lee has a passion for helping businesses succeed. Her early career began working in a water quality and pharmaceutical laboratory and then for the USGS. She later performed phase 1 & 2 environmental assessments, Chesapeake Bay/watershed cleanup activities, and GIS development. She flourished in the IT world for 25 years gaining leadership, project management, process, finance, strategy, web, app, and marketing expertise. Today she spends a lot of time in her clay studio with side consulting work.
Her consultant role with the KYH2O team combines marketing, web, app, and business development with her backgrounds in Environmental Science and IT. Her current artistic venture includes functional and sculptural ceramics with passions for the science, safety, and glaze chemistry of the art form. You can find her works in shops, galleries, and on her website.
To learn more, visit AmyLeePottery.com
Jim OConnell has over 30 years experience in branding, advertising, magazine publishing, web design, and social media marketing. Since founding Resource Media in 2005, Jim has worked with clients in a broad range of industries from small businesses to large corporations.
Rick is a former financial services industry trade publication editor who now serves as a strategic communications consultant. He is the founder and president of RGA Public Relations, Inc. (RGA) and the chief operating officer of Content Beacon, a content marketing company. Rick’s articles have been featured in national newspapers, magazines and online publications and he is recognized as one the first bloggers in the financial services industry. He is frequently featured in the financial industry’s top publications as a contributing writer and is often asked to share his expertise by speaking at national conferences and hosting seminars. His community service work includes serving as past President of the Carbon County Groundwater Guardians and past Chairman of the Board of the Pocono Northeast Resource, Conservation and Development Council.
The KnowYourH2O™ website and Path to Clean Water Program evolved from an initial blog and rather small website that focused on the private well owner and general drinking water issues in the early 1990s. It then took the form of the Water Research Center website from the late 1990s through the 2010s. The Water Research Center became part of the Carbon County Groundwater Guardian Program in 2001, which itself evolved into the 501c3 Keystone Clean Water Team in 2013.
Under the Water Research website we conducted research, training, and consulting projects in diverse areas. This included acid mine drainage (AMD), mine drainage, lake and stream monitoring, wetland creation and monitoring, drinking filtration plant performance evaluations, testing new point of use water treatment devices and systems, hydrogeological evaluations, geological investigations, soils testing, soil morphological evaluations, water well drilling, rehabilitation and construction, and land reclamation. During this period, we updated and expanded the Private Well Owner Outreach Program and developed a private well owner mail order water supply drinking water testing and education program.
Through our effort, we developed a number of programs such as the Private Well Owner and Drinking Water Testing Mail Order Water Testing Kits, Local Private Well Owner Test Programs, Our Drinking Water Guide for Well Water and City Water, and we worked and expanded the use of our Surface Water Quality Calculator and Citizen Science Outreach Efforts to the world.
We have been involved with Citizen Monitoring and other Environmental Training Programs for groups within the United States, Aruba, India, Arab Countries, Europe, and even the former Soviet Union and currently our Surface Water Monitoring Calculator is used worldwide and used as a training tool.
The KnowYourH2O website features two sections: "Indoor" focusing on Drinking Water for the General Public and Educators, and "Outdoor" which focuses on Surface Water and is geared toward the Water Professional, Educators and Citizens Scientists.
Each of the two sections are divided into steps along the Path to Clean Water which shows you how to Get Informed, Get Tested and Get Treatment in order to remediate your water issues. In addition, we provide a free Self Diagnostic Tool, ways to connect with like minds and ways to Get Involved such as Sharing Your Data to our Global Water Quality Index Map and hosting a community workshop.
The KnowYourH2O website is not part of any government agency, advocacy group, or environmental or political NGO. The team is composed of a group of like minded professionals that hope to use our skills to make a positive change in our community.
When the "Citizen Scientist" is properly trained, equipped, and informed, they become a significant field asset and human sensor to help protect the environment and human health. Even today, the most effective sensors are the human eyes, ears, nose and a thinking brain with a pair of boots on the ground. The current development and deployment of affordable real-time sensors with data logging capacity further expands the citizens capabilities beyond their own senses, giving them the ability to track water quality and environmental changes spatially and temporally.
If you are going to be a "Citizen Scientist", we would strongly suggest you act as a fact-based professional that uses the scientific method, facts and data which is independent of any given ideology. The public is best served when they get the facts and not the fear. We hope our website helps the "Citizen Scientist" educate and inform their community - Why? "Because We All Live Downstream".
Our mission with the KnowYourH2O program is to educate and inform the community and support grassroots efforts using fact based information to make change and improve the quality of life on this great big "Blue Ball" we call home.
