Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Field Irrigation at an ISWS Workshop in Mason County

Cover photo from the publication ISWS CR 2014-03 with two inset graphics from the publication.

Cover photo from the publication ISWS CR 2014-02 with two inset graphics from the publication.

Cover photo from the publication ISWS CR 2014-01 with two inset graphics, one from the publication and one from related website.

Cover photo from the publication ISWS CR 2013-06 with two inset maps from the publication.

Cover photo from the publication ISWS CR 2013-05 with two insets from the publication, a graph and a map.

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The Illinois State Water Survey has been a leader in the study of water resources for more than a century. Our research and service programs provide citizens, industries, and government agencies at all levels with timely, science- based information and analysis necessary to manage our water resources wisely for economic development and a sustainable environment.

Changing Groundwater Levels in the Sandstone Aquifers of Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin: Impacts on Available Water Supply
In 2014-15, the Illinois State Water Survey conducted their largest synoptic measurement of water levels (i.e., heads) in Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone wells since 1980. The study covered 33 counties in the northern...

Report for the Urban Flooding Awareness Act
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has released a new report examining the prevalence and costs associated with urban flooding in Illinois, along with strategies and recommendations for minimizing damage to property from this flooding. The Illinois General Assembly called upon IDNR to prepare the report...

ISWS Provides Resources for Irrigation Reporting
Starting this growing season, farm irrigators who use high capacity wells or intakes are required to report their water use. The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has created a website to assist irrigators with this mandatory reporting process, according to Steve Wilson, ISWS groundwater hydrologist...

Illinois River Levees: Sizing Up Their Impact on Flooding and Risk
The Illinois River is separated from its floodplain by a series of levees constructed and modified over time. These levees are subject to overtopping, but the frequency of the critical flood event varies from levee system to system and is not generally known. Investigations to consider reconnecting the river and its...

Decision Support Model for Generating Optimal Alternative Scenarios of Watershed Best Management Practices
The objective of this research was to evaluate the water quality benefits of selected BMPs at a watershed scale, generati ng alternative scenarios for implementation in Big Ditch and Big/Long Creek watersheds...

Continued Operation of a 25-Raingage Network for Collection, Reduction, and Analysis of Precipitation Data for Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting: Water Year 2013
A dense raingage network has operated in Cook County since the fall of 1989 to provide accurate precipitation measurements for use in simulating runoff for Lake Michigan diversion accounting. This report describes...

Fox River Watershed Investigation: Stratton Dam to the Illinois River, Phase III
This report documents the development and application of two simulation models for the Fox River: a watershed hydrologic model using the Hydrological Simulation Program and a receiving stream water quality model. Both simulation models were calibrated with observed data and subsequently used to simulate...

Groundwater Simulation Modeling and Potentiometric Surface Mapping, McHenry Co., IL
Illinois State Water Survey researchers conducted two studies to support water resources planning in McHenry County, Illinois. The first was an investigation to map heads in the shallow aquifers of McHenry County, and the second was a project to develop and use a computer model to simulate groundwater...

Groundwater Studies for Water Supply Planning In Kendall County, Illinois
Kendall County is currently dependent on groundwater to supply all of its communities, industries, and rural residents. With a county population estimated to grow from nearly 100,000 in 2007 to 190,000 by 2030 and 280,000 by 2050, a path to sustainable growth needs to incorporate sound planning and management...

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