As heavy rainstorms become more frequent and stronger than in the past, municipal drainage systems designed from outdated standards often fail, resulting in flooding and financial losses. Researchers at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) have recently applied newer data to update ISWS Bulletin 70, the publication that provides the state standards for expected extreme storms.

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.

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. 

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.

Water Survey staff recently received funding from state and federal agencies for projects involving water supply planning, monitoring at-risk groundwater supplies, preparing flood maps, collecting weather and soil data, and more.  

The Water Survey, with collaborators from the University of Illinois and county health departments, is continuing a study into measurable lead levels in homes with private wells in rural areas and is now recruiting participants from Champaign and Whiteside counties and the neighboring counties of Ogle, Lee, Bureau, Henry, and Rock Island. If you live in one of these counties, use a private well, and are interested in participating, please contact waterlead@illinois.edu for more information.

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 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

An Arctic outbreak in late January 2019 led to widespread bitterly cold temperatures across much of the Upper Midwest, including Illinois. On the morning of Jan. 31, the cooperative weather observer at Mt. Carroll in Carroll County reported a temperature of -38 degrees, now validated as the new official state record minimum temperature.  

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 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.

A model simulation produced by the Illinois State Water Survey shows the progression of the flood in Gibson City from the morning to the evening of Aug. 12, 2021.

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. 

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. 

Water Survey hydrogeologist George Roadcap is one of six academic professionals selected for a 2019 Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence Award. His work modelling and assessing risks to the Mahomet aquifer was among the reasons for the honor.

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.

Experts from the Illinois State Water Survey have been working since 2015 with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), supporting MWRD in making informed watershed management decisions for its vast service area that includes 128 suburban communities in Cook County. 

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.

Illinois State Water Survey researchers are part of a project to look for traces of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in sewer water in order to help monitor the spread of infection.  

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.

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.

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)

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. 

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.

While there is no universally accepted definition of drought, contemporary definitions look at a percentage of precipitation over a protracted period of time, in most cases over the course of a year. Some say this approach leaves people and communities vulnerable to a different type of drought – flash droughts.

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

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.

The Illinois State Water Survey will receive more than $1 million in funding through 2021 to support its drinking water outreach programs for private well owners and small, rural communities.

The Water Survey’s Health and Environmental Applications Laboratory (HEAL) provides chemical analysis services to support better understanding of our water resources. HEAL supports state institutions, communities, and people in Illinois and beyond.

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.

Researchers at the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute are developing new pest degree day tools for the state’s specialty crop growers. A short online survey offers growers the opportunity to contribute their opinions on how this information is delivered.

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.