Amber Pragar Joins Lab Team
[Did you know the team performs
more than 50,000 tests every year?]

Amber Pragar has been working as a co-op in the SD1 lab, and she'll soon be joining the team full-time as a lab tech. Amber will be replacing Ed Kittleman, who is leaving SD1 to follow his passion of helping others at his church.

"This seamless transition is a positive reflection on the co-op program and our succession plan," said Director of Operations Joe Baxter. "We are sad to see Ed leave, but we are very excited to welcome Amber into the full-time SD1 family!"

As a lab tech, Amber will process and analyze wastewater samples for compliance and process control, as well as industrial and watershed samples. She will conduct tests like BOD, total suspended solids, E coli, pH, and visual color. Each year, the lab team performs more than 50,000 tests.

Amber first worked with the pretreatment group for 6 months conducting FOG inspections before moving to a co-op with the Kentucky Division of Fish & Wildlife. She returned to SD1 last spring as a lab co-op.

Amber is attending Northern Kentucky University, pursuing a degree in environmental science with minors in biology and history.

Fun Fact: Amber also has a certificate in culinary arts from Cincinnati State as well as micro-credentials in environmental education and American Sign Language. She also enjoys assisting with NKU's stream restoration projects.

Welcome to the team, Amber!