Salute to One of Our Own

By Thad Plumley

I don’t know that this space has ever been used to humble brag, but there’s a first for everything, so please bear with me.

Water Well Journal’s long-time columnist Ed Butts, PE, CPI, is being recognized with the National Ground Water Association’s Technology Award at Groundwater Week 2025, December 9-11 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

One of WWJ’s own is getting a pat on his back, and I’m thrilled. It’s so incredibly well deserved. Congratulations, Ed!

NGWA has presented the award since 1974. Summarizing its description, it is presented to someone who has made a major contribution to the groundwater industry in the development of ideas, tools, and equipment and has shared those developments for the protection of the groundwater resource and the consuming public.

That’s Ed all right.

Ed has been authoring the popular Engineering Your Business column since it debuted in the September 2001 issue of WWJ. He is the Cal Ripken of writers. He hasn’t missed a single month. It amazes me he has his column ready to go every four weeks.

He even added a second quarterly column titled The Water Works nearly 20 years ago. Again, there has been one ready to edit and publish every three months since it came onto the scene. I could set my watch to them.

Those numbers are amazing. I have been a part of NGWA’s publishing department for more than 25 years ago, been the editor of WWJ for nearly 21 years, and even I have not written the number of words that Ed has. Even I’ve raised my hand a time or two and said, “Need a breather, coach.”

But the number of words is not why Ed is being honored; it’s what they say each month. Ed has connected with readers like you, and I think it’s because at the end of the day, he is you.

His columns often mention his life growing up in the groundwater industry. Like thousands of readers, Ed worked for and alongside his father, starting when he was 16. It is there he learned the foundation of his water well drilling and pump installation skills.

His columns share that knowledge as well as his experiences in the groundwater business. Ed often covers technical topics and the engineering of water systems—hence, the “engineering” in the name of his longest running column—but he does so in a matter-of-fact, easy-to-understand fashion.

In my eyes, that’s why his columns have connected. He is teaching, often in a step-by-step fashion, and the readers appreciate it. They value learning something that can make them better at their job.

I get emails from time to time from readers saying they liked an article and want a PDF of it to keep so they can refer to it later. The ones I hear about the most often are the Engineering Your Business columns by Ed.

So, thank you for allowing me to brag about one of WWJ’s own being recognized. And thank you Ed for your contributions to the groundwater industry. It’s better because of you.

Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.