CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 7/17/23: The Illinois State Water Survey’s (ISWS) research and history highlights are featured in the June issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA), showcasing the importance of the survey’s latest studies related to water issues, particularly in addressing today’s challenges, and commemorating its 125th anniversary.
The special issue, titled “Featured Collection: Water Resources Planning and Management Under Changing Conditions – Experience of Illinois,” is dedicated solely to the ISWS in its 125th anniversary, which was to have been celebrated in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic. Although special collections of research articles from a single institute are rarely featured in the journal, this special issue was initiated because of the remarkable accomplishments of the ISWS in water resources management and the fact that the association was co-founded in 1964 by an ISWS scientist, Sandor Csallany.
“When I attended my first association board meeting, the other members said, ‘Welcome home,’” said Zhenxing Zhang, now president of the AWRA and co-editor of the issue. “We have a special history with the association and have made a conscious decision to get ourselves back into AWRA.” With this issue, ISWS hydrologist Momcilo Markus became editor-in-chief of the journal.
The issue includes a foreword written by Laura Keefer, Illinois State Hydrologist and co-editor, and a collection of nine peer-reviewed articles highlighting current research results on topics such as water supply planning and groundwater modeling, precipitation frequency, water quality, and nutrient losses. The studies demonstrate how ISWS is continuing its legacy of addressing increasingly complex and uncertain water and climate issues.
“It is heartening to see the leading journal in the field honor and celebrate the important contributions of the scientists from the Illinois State Water Survey,” said Praveen Kumar, executive director of the Prairie Research Institute, which houses the ISWS. “The legacy of these contributions is long lasting both in science and in its societal impact.”
Historical events with national significance are also noted in the special issue. Among its achievements, in 1953, Water Survey radar operators were the first in the United States to detect and record a “hook echo” from a thunderstorm, a classic sign of a tornado. In addition, ISWS scientists were instrumental in developing surface and groundwater models and concepts to represent the flow of water through geological formations, stormwater runoff, and precipitation frequency, and to determine socio- and economic impacts of major flooding events, well drawdown, and dwindling water supply for communities.
The issue serves to reintroduce the Water Survey to other researchers in water-related fields, both in and outside of Illinois. Much of the research conducted in Illinois has broader implications, Keefer said. The issue’s purpose is also to inform ISWS staff about the Water Survey’s long history of accomplishments and practical study in contributing to solutions of managing water resources in a changing climate.
“There are people in the Water Survey who have a little more spring in their step now that they know more about the organization and its history,” Keefer said. “This is very helpful for our home team here.”
Zhang agreed that the journal issue can be used to inform current and prospective employees, as well as foster new collaborations, about the Water Survey’s achievements in academic research that benefit Illinoisans and communities.
The special issue of JAWRA is volume 59, issue 3. Along with Zhang and Keefer, Daniel Abrams, ISWS groundwater flow modeler, was a co-editor.
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Media contacts: Zhenxing Zhang, zhang538@illinois.edu; Laura Keefer, lkeefer@illinois.edu; Daniel Abrams, dbabrams@illinois.edu
