José L. Chávez was presented with the 2019 USCID Merriam Award on December 26th by Larry D. Stephens, Executive Vice President of USCID. The announcement of this honor was given at the November, 2019 USCID Conference in Reno, Nevada.  The awarding committee is from the International Committee on Irrigation and Drainage. The United States Committee on Irrigation and Drainage was established in 1950 as the leading scientific, technical and not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. Through its network of professionals spread across more than a hundred countries, (the committee) has facilitated sharing of experiences and transfer of water management technology for over a half century.   The Merriam award is given to a member of the U.S. committee who has made meritorious contributions to the advancement, understanding or attainment of the goals and objectives of USCID, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, and/or the Fund For Furthering Flexible Irrigation.