The Indiana Water Monitoring Council (InWMC) published the Indiana Water Report 2017 Summary: Projects Across the State. The report is a summary of current water monitoring and research projects that are going on in Indiana. Randy Bayless, a member of the InWMC Ground Water Focus Committee, provided insight into the creation of the summary and how the council hopes it will enhance water monitoring and protection across the state.
- What was the impetus for the development of this summary? The Groundwater Focus Committee, a committee of the Indiana Water Monitoring Council, is a very active collaboration of representatives from agencies, academia, organizations, private citizens, and the private sector. Realizing the progress that has been made on important water issues as a direct result of enhanced communication between the committee members, it seemed logical that even greater advances could be made if everyone involved with water policy and research in the State was informed and connected.
- Why did InWMC feel the summary was needed? What gaps does this summary fill in? The InWMC is dedicated to communication, coordination, and data sharing. Before the 2017 Summary, there was not a comprehensive compilation of active water-related projects in the State of Indiana that could be used to achieve those goals.
- What was the InWMC summary modeled after? The Kentucky Geological Survey, on behalf of the Kentucky Interagency Technical Advisory Committee, annually publishes a similar document to describe (only) groundwater monitoring. The Indiana Water Monitoring Council expanded on this platform to include other water oriented projects.
- What makes this summary useful? The Summary provides an inventory of water related projects in the State of Indiana, as well as contact information for each project. The information is intended to inform the general public and provide communication connections for scientists with common interests. Further, it may identify data gaps, study needs, and potential redundancies.
- Is this summary targeted at a specific audience? The project summaries were written to be informative but understandable by non-technical audience.
- What was your roll in the development of this summary? David Lampe and I (both from U.S. Geological Survey) invited and compiled the contributions.
- What do you hope happens as a result of the summary being published and shared? A better understanding of statewide water related projects and ongoing efforts to monitor and protect Indiana’s water resources.
- Is there anything else people should know about this summary? Planning is underway for the 2018 Summary. We anticipate a greater number of participating organizations; this year the contributions were only from government agencies and academic institutions. We hope to include an interactive map in the 2018 Summary that will allow readers to identify activities in their particular area of interest.
If you have questions about the 2017 report or want to be a part of the upcoming 2018 report contact Randy Bayless or David Lampe of the InWMC Ground Water Focus Committee.