Howells, David H.

David H. Howells was the first director of the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) of the University of North Carolina system. During his tenure at WRRI, Howells also served as Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NCSU and Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill. In addition to his work within the state, Howells served on several national and international water program evaluation commissions. He received numerous honors for his contributions to water pollution control, including the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal and a Presidential Citation. Howells was also well known for his considerable skills as a black-and-white photographer, his water photos were often featured in WRRI publications.

David H. Howells was born in Albany, Oregon, on June 15, 1920. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Howells enrolled at Oregon State University, where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1949. He spent most of the next sixteen years as an engineer for the U.S. Public Health Service, taking time out to acquire a master's degree in Sanitary Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1955.

In 1965, Howells became the first director of the newly formed Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) of the University of North Carolina system. During his tenure at WRRI, Howells also served as Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University and Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his work within the state, Howells served on several national and international water program evaluation commissions. He received numerous honors for his contributions to water pollution control, including the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal and a Presidential Citation. Though Howells retired in 1976, he remained an active conservationist, continuing to work with WRRI, volunteering with the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Sierra Club, and serving as Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University.

Howells was also well known for his considerable skills as a black-and-white photographer; his photographs regularly placed or received honorable mention in juried exhibits throughout North Carolina. Water was a recurring theme in his photographic work, and his water photos were often featured in WRRI publications.