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The 21st century has brought to the fore a number of water and related issues in Oregon. Earlier melting of the Cascades snowpack is changing “free water storage”, which has implications for snowmelt out of phase with existing water resource systems and ecosystems. Sustainable water supplies for development, ecosystem maintenance, and hydroelectric power generation may be adversely affected by increased population, climate change, and renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty. Conflict over water threatens to escalate. Since water is “virtually” embedded in all Oregon products, whether natural or manufactured, the state’s economic vitality is tied directly to water.
To meet the aforementioned challenges, the Institute for Water and Watersheds (IWW), Oregon’s federally-designated water resources research institute, was created in 2005. The Institute coordinates water and watershed activities at OSU, connects students, staff, and faculty with stakeholders and statewide water issues, and pursues solutions to the water and related environmental problems of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, the USA, and the world by assembling research teams from a broad spectrum of disciplines. It utilizes educational and outreach models to communicate the latest water science and policy options to stakeholders so that they can make informed, intelligent decisions. Over 125 faculty from six colleges and numerous departments are affiliated with the IWW.
The IWW’s Water Collaboratory, an open analytical chemistry laboratory, provides faculty, staff, and students with a variety of analytical capabilities.
The
IWW is the state water
resources research institute for Oregon and is one of 54 state- or
territory-based, institutes established by the 1964 Federal Water Resources
Research Act. Through this program, the IWW receives federal matching
funds from the US Geological Survey to support water resources research
and education activities in Oregon. In this role, it replaces the Center
for Water and Environmental Sustainability (CWESt) which operated from
2000-2005 and the The Oregon Water Resources Research Institute (OWRRI)
which operated from 1960-2000. The Center is a member of the National
Institutes for Water Resources.
