Metropolitan Water Reclaimation District
Sustainable Water and Land Management Breakout
As general superintendent of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago, Richard Lanyon leads an organization that collects and treats wastewater from more than 5 million people in Cook County and the industrial equivalent of another 4 million people. MWRD is also responsible for storm water management and other related services to protect the environment. A 45-year career employee of the District, Lanyon was appointed general superintendent in 2006. In that position, he is in charge of day-to-day operations, leading 2,000 employees and administering an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Prior to his appointment, he served as Director of Research and Development. Lanyon has been involved in a variety of technical activities for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). He chairs the Steering Committee of the National Biosolids Partnership, a collaboration of the USEPA, NACWA and WEF to further the beneficial reuse of biosolids; and WEF Sustainability Community of Practice, an effort by water professionals to enhance sustainable practices by industry and government. Lanyon earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2003.
As general superintendent of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago, Richard Lanyon leads an organization that collects and treats wastewater from more than 5 million people in Cook County and the industrial equivalent of another 4 million people. MWRD is also responsible for storm water management and other related services to protect the environment. A 45-year career employee of the District, Lanyon was appointed general superintendent in 2006. In that position, he is in charge of day-to-day operations, leading 2,000 employees and administering an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Prior to his appointment, he served as Director of Research and Development. Lanyon has been involved in a variety of technical activities for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). He chairs the Steering Committee of the National Biosolids Partnership, a collaboration of the USEPA, NACWA and WEF to further the beneficial reuse of biosolids; and WEF Sustainability Community of Practice, an effort by water professionals to enhance sustainable practices by industry and government. Lanyon earned bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2003.