Agriculture News

Two more WKU students have earned national certification in floodplain management.

Rory Watson, a senior Interdisciplinary Studies major from Leitchfield, and Doug Woodson, a junior Civil Engineering major from Franklin, recently passed the Certified Floodplain Manager examination.

In the past five years, 42 WKU floodplain management students have passed the CFM exam. The exam has a national pass rate of about 75 percent, but most of the people who take the exam have worked in the field of floodplain management for a few years, according to Warren Campbell, associate professor of civil engineering and coordinator of the floodplain management minor.

Kentucky now has 71 CFMs; 12 states have fewer than 42 CFMs, Campbell said. Almost 22,000 U.S. communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, and by law each must designate a floodplain administrator.

“In 2004 Kentucky had only seven certified floodplain managers,” Campbell said. “By producing 42, WKU has made a significant contribution to floodplain expertise in Kentucky and surrounding states.”

Contact: Warren Campbell, (270) 745-8988.