3 Rivers QUEST's latest research on long-term water quality trends in the Monongahela River Basin has recently been published with the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) in a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. WVWRI's very own student worker, Sarah Nelson is featured on the cover!
This research project, led by Dr. Leslie Hopkinson of WVU, analyzed water quality data collected through the 3RQ program since 2009. It takes a close look at a variety of parameters, including temperature, pH, conductivity, alkalinity, acidity, sulfate, iron, manganese, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and total dissolved solids.
“Of the six mainstem sampling locations, widespread decreasing trends in TDS, SO4, Cl, and Na were observed, regardless of adjusting for discharge or season; similarly, increasing trends or no trends in pH were observed at all sampling sites. Many of water quality gains are likely related to the voluntary management plan that was implemented by the coal industry. This independent monitoring through 3RQ is important to communicate the impacts as well as plan for future water management.”
3RQ brings together academic researchers, citizen scientists, and conservation groups to collect, analyze, and monitor important water quality data, such as the long-term trends in the Monongahela River Basin. 3RQ is able to participate in this research with the support of the West Virginia Water Research Institute, established by the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA). Signed into law in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this act established a Water Resources Research Institute in each state and Puerto Rico.
In Johnson’s words, the WRRA’s geographically distributed approach to water research and education “will enlist the intellectual power of universities and research institutes in a nationwide effort to conserve and utilize our water resources for the common benefit. The new centers will be concerned with municipal and regional, as well as with national water problems. Their ready accessibility to state and local officials will permit each problem to be attacked on an individual basis, the only way in which the complex characteristics of each water deficiency can be resolved.”
Subsequent amendments to the 1964 act broadened the list of National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) so that, by 1983, there were 54 institutes, one in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
The WRRA program is a federal-state partnership that provides for competitive grants to be awarded for research projects focusing on the state and region. Each of the 54 institutes is charged with overseeing research that addresses water problems or expands the understanding of water and water-related phenomena. They are also responsible for aiding the entry of new research scientists into water resources fields, helping to train future water scientists and engineers, and transferring the results of sponsored research to water managers and the public.
For organizations such as 3RQ, the WRRA program is necessary to support research in water science.
Interested in reading more? Check out the article here: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/jcwre/vol182/iss1/