Illinois State Water Survey is seeking a Hydrogeologist to work alongside and provide hydrogeologic consulting services to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) personnel. Project specific focus will be the long-term maintenance and operation of dewatering efforts (i.e., removing excess groundwater to protect vital infrastructure). This project/position has been active since the 1980s and is projected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Field work Weekly field work from April – November annually. Summer field season includes well rehabilitations (i.e., acidification and sonar pulsing) to remove iron and bacterial buildup on well screens. Oversee rehabilitation teams and report progress to IDOT staff. Participate in sand tests for Ranney Collector Well to ensure that the system is functioning properly. Measure groundwater levels regularly. Maintain and ensure long-term functionality of telemetry stations that monitor and record groundwater levels hourly. Installations of automated monitoring telemetry stations, as needed. Field work may require interaction with property owners or the public but will likely be predominantly interacting with IDOT personnel.
• Hydrogeologic Consulting  Respond to requests from IDOT staff about regional/local hydrogeologic information. Produce monthly reports of local groundwater levels for IDOT staff.
• Other  Perform other duties as needed to further the mission and goals of the Illinois State Water Survey, the Prairie Research Institute, and the University of Illinois.

• Perform analysis of water samples in the laboratory under supervision from senior employees, including automated nutrient analysis, carbon analysis, pH/alkalinity titration, filtration, total dissolved solids, and total suspended solids.
• Prepare reagents, perform preparatory steps, log samples, and perform other support tasks 
• Wash bottles and supplies following HEAL standard operating procedures 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Illinois Three-Dimensional (3D) Mesonet. This position offers an exceptional opportunity to lead a first-of-its-kind, statewide, multi-sector environmental observing network designed to transform weather, climate, and environmental monitoring and decision-making across Illinois and the nation.

About the Illinois 3D Mesonet

The Illinois 3D Mesonet is a transformative partnership among the Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences (CliMAS), the Prairie Research Institute (PRI), and several other campus and external partners, including the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

The 3D Mesonet represents a new generation of environmental observing systems — combining surface, subsurface, and autonomous drone-based atmospheric observations up to 8,000 feet. It will integrate these data with a federated statewide environmental data portal and new decision-support tools that benefit stakeholders in public safety/emergency management, agriculture, transportation, power utilities, K-12 and higher education, public health, communications, urban planning, manufacturing, and research. When completed, it will be the Nation’s first fully three-dimensional, autonomous mesonet.