The Water Survey's annual research report highlights key work in the survey's three research focus areas: community resiliency to risks such as heat waves, droughts, flash floods, and severe storms; nutrient and sediment transport and the impact on Illinois’ water quality and supply, habitat, land use, and economy; and regional climate and green energy, specifically better understanding of how the changing climate will impact sources of renewable energy and providing more accurate predictions of the benefits and length of service of renewable energy investments. Download the Water Survey's 2020 Research Report

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

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

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.

The Water Survey has been a leader in groundwater science since its inception in 1895. Water Survey staff have developed innovative ways to analyze and visualize data, from painstakingly soldered flow models using electricity, to digital flow models like the widely used Prickett-Lonnquist Aquifer Simulation Model (PLASM), to more recent interactive maps and a new approach to developing potentiometric surfaces using MODFLOW. Learn more about the past, present, and future of the Water Survey's groundwater data innovation in this StoryMap. 

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.

Despite the record cold air temperatures, soil temperatures averaged slightly warmer than normal this winter. Consequently, the Arctic conditions are expected to have little effect on overwintering field crop insect pest populations.

With the retirement of Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Brian Kerschner is stepping up to temporarily serve as the Illinois State Water Survey’s point person on weather and climate issues while a search is conducted for the new full-time Illinois State Climatologist.

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.

State Hydrologist Laura Keefer has waited her entire career at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) to be able to talk about trends in the amount of sediment carried in Illinois’ rivers and streams. That’s because it takes many years of data to glean some answers.

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.

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.

Staff from the Water Survey were part of a team honored for their Outstanding Collaboration and former Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel received the Research Scientist’s Career Achievement Award at the Prairie Research Institute's 2019 Celebration of Excellence. 

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.

It’s been 30 years since the Illinois State Water Survey launched the Illinois Climate Network (ICN) to monitor the state’s weather and soils. The 19 ICN stations around the state collect data on wind speed and direction, air temperature, humidity, precipitation, barometric pressure, solar radiation, soil temperatures and soil moisture. 

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.

Scientists investigating present and future water resources in Illinois find a wealth of data through the Illinois Water Inventory Program. For more than 40 years, the state-sponsored program has collected data from users of high-capacity intakes and wells in Illinois rated to pump more than 70 gallons per minute. 

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

A series of free half-day seminars will be offered across the state this year to commemorate the Illinois State Water Survey’s (ISWS) 125th anniversary. Seminars will highlight critical water, weather, and climate issues of Illinois. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is tapping the expertise of the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) to finish a multi-year collaboration updating climate model projections for its Atlas 14, which serves as the benchmark for precipitation frequency values across the United States.

In the Chicago region, rain and snowmelt often overwhelm sewer systems, causing street flooding and basement back-ups. Pollutants from sewer systems flow into nearby rivers and Lake Michigan. Even in areas with separate storm and sanitary sewers, overflow from severe storms carries pollution into the Chicago area waterways system, adversely affecting water quality and habitat. This problem is expected to worsen as climate change progresses and storms grow larger and more frequent.

Tracking how air moves at night near the Earth's surface could provide insights into how air pollution spreads and when it's best to apply pesticides. This week, a team of University of South Carolina and University of Illinois researchers will launch a project to do just that. The two-month experiment -- called Stable Atmospheric Variability and Transport, or SAVANT -- will run from Sept. 15 to Nov. 15 in and near Mahomet, Illinois, and will measure air flow in what's known as a stable boundary layer.

By 2030, the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system that supplies Will, Kendall, Kane, and McHenry Counties is projected to not be able to meet the monthly water demand in parts of the region. That’s according to a 2015 report by the groundwater science team at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS)

ISWS staff recently participated in events in Peoria and Springfield, helping Illinoisans learn about groundwater and private wells. 

The Groundwater science team at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has received the National Ground Water Association Outstanding Groundwater Supply Project Award for 2019 for their project Assessing At-Risk Groundwater Supply in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago. 

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. 

With its unique geology marked by sinkholes, crevices, and caves, Jo Daviess County is highly susceptible to water contamination. Scientists from the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) and Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) are using their expertise and collaborating with a local organization to help citizens understand water quality issues and protect their water supplies.

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.

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.

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.