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The Illinois State Water Survey has flourished for more than a
century by anticipating and responding to new challenges and
opportunities to serve the citizens of Illinois. Today, the
Water Survey continues to demonstrate flexibility and
adaptability by developing new programs, while continuing to
provide long-standing services upon which Illinoisans have come
to rely.
A sense of dynamism is also apparent in staff changes,
facilities renovation and acquisition, and
reorganization. Overall, we are positioning ourselves to improve
efficiency and productivity, and to make the Water Survey a
safer and more pleasant place to work.
Upon comparing the challenges and opportunities facing the Water
Survey with the existing organizational structure, I noticed a
problem: the Water Survey was organized by scientific discipline
- atmospheric science, hydrology, and chemistry - whereas the
policy, resource management, and research issues are complex and
largely interdisciplinary in nature. Consequently, I proposed to
the Board of Natural Resources and Conservation and obtained its
approval to reorganize the Water Survey in a manner that
reflects these realities and complexities.
The new organizational structure of the Water Survey includes
three technical sections (watershed science, groundwater, and
atmospheric environment), one national program, and an
analytical chemistry and service unit, together with central
administration and management functions conducted in the Office
of the Chief. The Water Survey is positioning itself to provide
monitoring, analytical, and mathematical modeling capabilities
to address issues under the umbrella of the new programs.
Each of the three technical sections share some common features:
information services; a focus on environmental impacts and
responses; data collection for the Water and Atmospheric
Resources Monitoring program; and a renewed emphasis on modeling
studies, research, and analysis. A significant portion of the
National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) involves chemical
analysis and data dissemination. The primary focus of the
Analytical Chemistry & Technology Unit is public service.
Website: "http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/"
[Summary provided by the Illinois State Water Survey]
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