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OVERVIEW -- SUBSURFACE PROTECTION AND REMEDIATION DIVISION
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NRMRL's Subsurface Protection and Remediation Division located in Ada, Oklahoma, conducts EPA-investigator led laboratory and field research to provide the scientific basis to support the development of strategies and technologies to protect and restore ground and surface water quality within a watershed perspective. The Division (formerly the Robert S. Kerr Research Laboratory)originated in 1961 as one of several field laboratories established under the direction of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to combat increasing water pollution problems nationally. The laboratory was named in honor of Robert S. Kerr, a long-time U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, for his dedication and concern for the conservation and development of our natural water resources and his pioneering legislation in environmental protection. With its beginnings as a regional U.S. Public Health Service laboratory located in temporary quarters on the campus of East Central University, construction of a permanent facility began in 1964, and in May 1966 dedication ceremonies for the newly constructed Robert S. Kerr Water Research Center were held. Initially the laboratory functioned under the U.S. Department of Interior; it provided technical assistance, presented training, and conducted research to solve water pollution problems indigenous to the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. In 1970, its role was expanded when the Kerr Center became 1 of 15 research laboratories established by the then newly created U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Between 1970-1980 research at the Kerr Center focused on the environmental effects of mining, irrigation, petroleum and petroleum-related areas, animal wastes, water quality, land treatment and groundwater, all directed toward solving environmental problems that were both national and international in scope and importance. In 1979, the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory was designated EPA's center for groundwater research. In the spring of 1995, a realignment of EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) saw the establishment of two centers and three national laboratories, incorporating EPA's 15 research laboratories nationwide. As a result of this realignment, the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory became a division in ORD's National Risk Management Research Laboratory, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. For a more detailed overview of the Subsurface Protection and Remediation Division, visit the website at (http://www.epa.gov/ada/overview.html). To access directly from this website, click on downloads on the navigation bar.