Steven Wilson is one of six recipients of the Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence award for 2022.  The CAPE award was established to recognize academic professionals for their work, personal and professional contributions. 

Wilson assists people nationally who get their drinking water from private wells. His programs also serve as a resource for water and wastewater system operators in small towns and on tribal lands. His work includes applied scientific research, outreach and education of the general public and government officials.

The Water Survey's annual research report highlights the work of our scientists in key areas, including public health,  community resiliency, surface and groundwater, climate and atmospheric science, and the nexus of water and sustainable energy. Download the Water Survey's 2021 Research Report

College students in a summer internship program at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) are developing new skills in geographic information system (GIS) learning while tackling ways to map Illinois streamflow more accurately to inform soil conservation efforts. This on-the-job training will better prepare students for future studies and their careers.

In one month, Illinoisans experienced severe heat, lingering drought and flash floods, strong storms, and poor air quality. This was not your typical July, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Illinois State Water Survey.

A change in weather has cooled soils across Illinois in mid-August, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey.

The annual Salt Symposium Chloride Reduction Leadership Award recognizes individuals and organizations who are leading the way in chloride reduction. This year, the Illinois State Water Survey’s (ISWS) groundwater science section which includes Walt Kelly, Daniel Abrams, Devin Mannix, and Cecilia Cullen, was one of six recipients of this award. 

Walton R. Kelly is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award, which recognizes the achievements of a PRI scientist whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact over the course of their career.

Atticus Zavelle, senior scientific specialist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Research Specialist/Technician Award by the Prairie Research Institute.

The Illinois State Water Survey is continuing data development for the Embarras River watershed as part of a multiple-phase study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.

The Illinois State Water Survey is continuing data development for the Kishwaukee River watershed as part of a multiple-phase study to help local communities identify areas of high flood risk for flood mitigation planning.

Despite milder May temperatures, the spring season was still a top 10 warmest on record in many places in the Midwest, including in St. Louis, Peoria, and Paducah, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

The heat wave in late June was extreme in both its intensity — especially nighttime temperatures — and its duration, breaking 14 daily high and 88 daily high minimum temperature records across Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

The Prairie State is no stranger to intense precipitation and consequential flooding. However, the frequency and intensity of rainfall have been increasing in recent decades, putting a renewed focus on the information, warning systems, planning and preparation needed to protect Illinois from the threat of intense rainfall.

Jenna Shelton recently joined the Prairie Research Institute as the new director of the Illinois State Water Survey. Shelton is a hydrobiogeochemist with 14 years of experience at the U.S. Geological Survey. She has a dynamic background of research and leadership, with expertise in strategic planning, machine learning, budgeting, the energy-water nexus, workforce development, stakeholder outreach, and international and Tribal Nation relations.

An extremely dry end to summer and start to fall has intensified ongoing drought in central and southern Illinois and increased the fire and blowing dust risk as we approach harvest, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute. River levels have dropped near or below low stage, including on the Kaskaskia, Sangamon, and Mackinaw, among others.

New research highlights discrepancies between weather observations and weather models used for wind energy forecasting.

After more than a year of planning, our team is finally ready to launch a new phase of research. We’ve designed and built two small “islands” of wetland plants that will float on Lake Decatur. These living laboratories will help us investigate how floating wetlands may affect nutrient levels and sediment dynamics in lake systems nationwide.

University of Illinois scientists are developing a way for households to monitor the quality of their drinking water as part of a $5 million National Science Foundation-funded project led by Washington University in St. Louis.

Below normal rainfall continued into October in central and northern Illinois, helping harvest progress quickly, as well as creating challenges with dry vegetation and high fire risk, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

The two big rounds of snowfall last month made for a much snowier-than-average November for central and northern Illinois, with some areas getting 8 to 12 inches more than normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

Laura Keefer is a recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2025 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award, which recognizes the achievements of a PRI scientist whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact over the course of their career.

Not as warm as 2024, but 2025 was well above the 20th century average temperature and saw nearly 700 records broken for daily high temperatures, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute. Last year also marked the fourth consecutive year of late summer and autumn drought in Illinois.

Plenty of cold air was present when winter storms moved through Illinois in the latter half of January, producing some impressive snowfall totals, but also limiting the liquid water content of the snow in a state still in drought, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

February is normally one of the driest months of the year, but last month was extreme, worsening drought conditions in Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

March saw rollercoaster temperatures set numerous records and well above average precipitation that improved drought conditions in Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

Researchers at the Prairie Research Institute have developed a data-driven framework to better predict how environmental systems in the critical zone — from the bedrock layer beneath the Earth’s surface to the tree canopy — behave over time and under different influences.