Illinois Water Resources Center
facilitating water research and education for the state of Illinois
IWRC is one of 54 programs funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the
Water Resources Research Act of 1964 to promote and support the restoration,
conservation, and best management of water resources in the United States and
U.S. territories.
Our Mission
The IWRC is a federal–state partnership whose aim is to:
- plan, facilitate, and conduct research that helps resolve and foresee Illinois and regional water problems
- promote the development and transfer of water technologies
- promote the dissemination and application of research
- train scientists through participation in research
- award competitive grants under the Water Resources Research Act
We conduct and facilitate novel and interdisciplinary water sciences research that benefits the people, economy, and environment of Illinois, the Mississippi River basin, and the Great Lakes region. The IWRC is dedicated to promoting transformative research and technological advances in water sciences by using team-based strategies to tackle grand societal challenges through collaboration on national and international scales.
“They enlist the intellectual power of universities and research institutes in a nationwide effort… Their ready accessibility to State and local officials.. permit each problem to be attacked on an individual basis, the only way in which the complex characteristics of each water deficiency can be resolved.”
– Statement by the President Lyndon Johnson upon signing the Water Resources Research Act, July 17, 1964
News
As the fall semester begins, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) is offering free student memberships to those studying in groundwater-related programs (in both undergraduate and graduate programs), whether in a university, community college, or a drilling school. NGWA student member benefits include: There are also special benefits available to...
Prairie Research Institute Leads Campus Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Geothermal Energy Technology “This installation was supported through the collaborative efforts of the Illinois Geothermal Coalition, which was established on campus as a Living Laboratory workshop hosted by iSEE in 2018. The Illinois Geothermal Coalition is a collection of...
Online Geothermal Resource Now Available! The Illinois Geothermal Coalition is pleased to announce the release of a novel, comprehensive review of geothermal energy in the U.S. Midwest! This resource is free and publicly available online in a wikipedia-style format from the link below.
...The 2022 Illinois State Water Plan is now available! IWRC is pleased to have contributed to the report as part of the Illinois State Water Plan Task Force, a unified coalition of state agencies developed by the Department of Natural Resources addressing key issues in state water resource management. The...
The Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium is coming back in 2023! The Algal Bloom Action Team’s popular Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium will return for it’s third year this January 5-6, 2023! The symposium is free and will be held entirely virtually. Over the last two years, the event has...
February 22, 2022 – Ames, IA – The Iowa Water Center recently received a second round of funding from the North Central Region Water Network to co-lead the delivery of research-based harmful algal bloom information to Extension professionals across the Midwest. The Algal Bloom Action Team, a collective of Water Resource Research Institutes and...
Contact: Beth Wanamaker – 734-396-6082, beth@glc.org Ann Arbor, Mich. – A report released by the Great Lakes Commission finds that 37.8 million gallons of water per day were withdrawn from the Great Lakes basin in 2020, a close to 3% decrease from 2019 withdrawals. According to the 2020 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional Water...
Funding Opportunities
The Illinois Water Resources Center requests proposals to fund exploratory research or educational projects that enhance water sciences research and higher education throughout Illinois. We are particularly interested in supporting projects that will help grow the body of research in Illinois, including proof-of-concept projects that may help researchers attract larger...
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (IISG) anticipates having $800,000 to invest in promising research projects relevant to southern Lake Michigan and surrounding coastal communities in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. Work is to be completed in the 2024-25 biennium. Work can be conducted outside of the geographic area outlined above provided applicants make...
USGS in cooperation with the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) has released their annual request for proposals under its National Competitive Grants Program (104g General, PFAS and Aquatic Invasive Species). Any investigator at an institution of higher learning is eligible to apply for these grants with research that focuses...
We are pleased to announce that the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) is sponsoring travel awards for students to attend the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) conference from June 13-15, 2023 in Fort Collins, CO. One awardee per NIWR region will be chosen at random, with awards ranging...
The National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) has released its annual request for proposals (RFPs) under its National Competitive Grants Program. In cooperation with USGS, these RFPs, submitted through each state’s Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), have historically funded only four applicants throughout the nation. In the last few years,...
The Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub (MBDH) plans to develop an NSF RCN proposal to address community needs, and we are interested in input from academic researchers, government agency staff, nonprofits, and industry partners to ensure we have cross-sector engagement. There will be additional opportunities for input and collaboration discussions...
The Illinois Water Resources Center (IWRC) requests proposals to fund exploratory research or educational projects that enhance water sciences research and higher education throughout Illinois. While we are interested in all water resources issues that impact Illinois, our 2023 priority topics are agriculture, climate, ecosystem structure and function, per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), urban...
Biota Awards, an initiative of the Walder Foundation’s Environmental Sustainability program now in its second year, are a funding opportunity for early-career researchers based in Illinois who seek to restore, protect and conserve biodiversity locally and around the world. Awardees receive $300,000 of flexible research funding distributed over three years...
The National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) has released their annual request for proposals (RFPs) under their National Competitive Grants Program. In cooperation with USGS, these RFPs, submitted through each state’s Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), have historically funded only four applicants throughout the nation. In the last few years,...
IISG Mission One of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s (IISG) long-term goals is to help build a community of researchers and outreach professionals focused on critically important Lake Michigan issues. The IISG Scholars programs are designed to help build this community by introducing researchers to the issues and the stakeholders affected by...
Events
UCOWR and NIWR invite you to engage with leading researchers, educators, water managers, students, and other professionals from across the globe as we seek to develop new and innovative collaborations and transdisciplinary solutions to complex water resources challenges. Abstracts (300 words max.) for oral, poster, panel, lightning, and participatory should...
The Algal Bloom Action Team, a collaboration of water professionals, researchers, and educators from 12 states in the North Central Region of the United States, invites you to submit an abstract to the Fifth Annual Harmful Algal Bloom Virtual Symposium. The symposium will feature emergent harmful algal bloom (HAB) research...
The North Central Region Water Network (NCRWN) hosted the 4th Annual Harmful Algal Bloom Symposium on January 4th, and you can watch the recordings here! Check out these videos, as well as more recordings from previous events, on NCRWN’s YouTube Channel.
...The city of Urbana is hosting a Pumpkin Smash event at the Landscape Recycling center on Saturday, November 4th from 11 am to 3 pm. This is a free event to bring your old October gourds to the food compost pile and smash them up, while learning about local compost...
Date Speaker Affiliation Topic February 1st Donna Hill USEPA Toxins Associated w/ Freshwater HABs & Mammalian Health Effect April 5th Jeanine Refsnider Alba Argerich University of Toledo University of Missouri Effects of Lake Erie Harmful Algal Blooms on Wildlife Health Lessons Learned from 30 Years of Community Science- The Lakes...
Upcoming Webinar:Toxins Associated with Fresh Water Harmful Algal Blooms and Their Mammalian Health EffectsWednesday February 1, 2023 11:00 AM CT/ 12:00 PM ET The Algal Bloom Action Team is hosting its first webinar of 2023 on Wednesday, February 1st. This webinar will feature Donna Hill with the Office of Research...
The Algal Bloom Action Team’s popular Virtual Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium returned for its third year on January 5-6, 2023. The event brought together over 800 water professionals from across the North Central Region to hear about the latest harmful algal bloom Research, discuss examples of effective bloom management,...
Join NGWA on October 25th to explore the Hydrogeology of Illinois. As hydrogeology varies widely across the United States — and as primary jurisdiction over groundwater development rests with the states — each is unique. This webinar series explores the issues encountered in each of the 50 states — one...
The Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium is coming back in 2023! The Algal Bloom Action Team’s popular Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium will return for it’s third year this January 5-6, 2023! The symposium is free and will be held entirely virtually. Over the last two years, the event has...
Wednesday, July 6 at 10 AM CT Presented by: Brian Urlaub, Associate Vice President & Director of Geothermal Operations, SALAS O’BRIEN Geothermal energy systems allow community- and district-scale energy plants and facilities, multi-building developments, and campuses to attain higher energy efficiencies, better energy cost savings, and lower carbon emissions. Join...
Description Join Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant staff as they host a panel discussion with representatives from different funding agencies. Panelists will share what their organization looks for when selecting proposals to support, and audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions. The primary audience for this webinar is students or...
California Institute for Water ResourcesUniversity of California , Division of Agriculture and Natural ResourceWEBINAR — Free and open to the public. Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 12 pm C.T.Join by:• Clicking WEBINAR LINK• Contacting egroninger@siu.edu for link in email Many science communication practitioners find themselves working on issues that are emotional,contentious,...
Geothermal Energy: Federal Energy and Water Sustainability Requirements Energy Storage, Disaster Resiliency, and Sustainability Federal Models in Resiliency and Sustainability: At home and Abroad ** This event has passed. You can view the slides, recording, and find more information at the links below! ** Slides: https://uofi.box.com/s/wa5h0gc3g1rl9n9htlzvl3pbzijn1re9 Recording: https://youtu.be/2D31Ay1eeo8 Other links: https://geothermal.illinois.edu/ https://www.sustainability.gov/...
Job Opportunities
The Department of Land, Air and Water Resources in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis is recruiting an Assistant Professor of Groundwater Hydrology with strong expertise in hydrogeology, in physical groundwater flow and contaminant transport processes, and in the development and application of...
The Colorado Water Center director is appointed by the President of Colorado State University to serve as the chief executive, academic, and policy officer of the Center, reporting directly to the Vice President for Engagement and Extension. The director provides leadership and oversight of the Center’s portfolio of research, education,...
The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), whose research and service programs provide citizens, industries, and government agencies at all levels with timely, science-based information and analyses necessary to manage our water resources wisely for economic development and a sustainable environment, is seeking a Director who will provide strategic director and...
The School of Earth Systems and Sustainability (ESS) at Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale campus, invites applications for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor in the broad field of Environmental Geology. This is a 9-month position in the regular title series with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2024. ESS...
The Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS) is hiring a hydrologist with one position open at the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. To learn more, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/job/757886000.
...The California Water Science Center is looking to hire a recent graduate to be a hydrologist. Recent graduate means the candidate must have graduated (Masters or PhD) within the last two years. They are looking for someone with interest in hydrologic modeling, managed aquifer recharge, or groundwater studies in general....
The U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area is hiring multiple Physical Scientists and Interdisciplinary Data Scientists. This is a cluster hire for permanent federal positions at multiple levels of experience (GS11/12 and GS12/13). Apply online at USAjobs.gov, where the positions are anticipated to open to applicants in mid- to late-February. We will...
The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Central Midwest Water Science Center (UMid WSC) is pleased to announce we are seeking to fill a postdoc position. The vacancy is a Research Hydrologist GS-12 position located in Urbana, IL that will lead modeling studies aimed at producing stream water quality and harmful algal...
The Geological Survey – Central Midwest Water Science Center is hiring! Open application period: 02/02/2023 to 02/28/2023 Please visit this link to apply. This is a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship appointment not to exceed 13 months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 years without further competition. Appointment to...
The Prairie Research Institute and the Illinois Water Resources Center, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Illinois, are seeking several motivated, resourceful, and tech-savvy undergraduate students to join our team. The duties across all opportunities will include the following: Desired experience per opportunity includes the following: Wages for...
Four Mendenhall research fellowship opportunities within the Integrated Water Prediction Program of the Water Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey are listed below. The closing date for applications is Nov. 1, 2022, and information about required application materials can be found here. 21-7. Advancing co-design of models and data networks Better integration of...
Sandia National Laboratories currently has graduate and undergraduate summer internship postings in the FORCEE Institute (Future of Research for Climate, Earth, and Energy). If you are an interested student, please visit the links below to see the internship postings. Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Grid Modernization – R&D Graduate
...New Developments
Natural Resources Building
615 E. Peabody Dr
Champaign, IL 61820
iwrc@illinois.edu
(217) 300-2101