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Wetland restoration along the Rock River
INHS botanist Susan McIntyre and colleagues, including Jeffrey Matthews from the U. of I. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, assessed the effectiveness of restoring former agricultural land in northwestern Illinois to a floodplain forest. Wetlands are protected under the U.S. Clean Water Act. Regulations require developers to compensate for impacts to wetlands by creating…
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Residual oil zones in Richland County
PRI researchers published an extensive report on their analysis of an oil field in the Cypress Sandstone at Noble Field in Richland County, Illinois, in 2020. Geologists assessed this area for the presence of residual oil zones (ROZ) and the potential for carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery. The project included the development of a model that…
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Water-quality monitoring along the Illinois Tollway
ISGS scientists monitor water quality at 36 locations along the Tollway system. This provides the Tollway, as well as municipal stakeholders and regulators, with information regarding the effectiveness of roadway run-off treatment best-management-practices, including treatment of wetlands (bioswales), and other measures that the Tollway takes to mitigate impacts to aquatic resources. Read More from Water-quality…
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Data for purchasing and insuring homes
PRI provides critical data to banks, title companies, insurance companies, and consumers. The Public Land Survey System maps the legal locations and descriptions of land across Illinois. PRI also provides information about earthquake hazards, such as the type of underlying material, depth to bedrock, slope of the land, design of the house, and what materials…
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Addressing water quality in disadvantaged areas of Chicago
Two ISWS scientists were recently awarded a grant by the U. of I. Chancellor’s Office to sample private wells in the Chicago metro area. The Chancellor’s Call to Action to Address Racism & Social Injustice Research Program provides $2 million annually to U. of I. researchers to support projects that address systematic racism and social…
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Imperial Valley Water Authority
For more than 30 years, the Water Survey (ISWS) has collaborated closely with the [Imperial Valley Water Authority ](https://www.isws.illinois.edu/imperial-valley)(IVWA), which comprises all of Mason County and four townships in Tazewell County. To aid the trustees in understanding and managing the region’s water supply, the Water Survey operates a network of rain gauges and groundwater observation…
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Illinois Storage Corridor
The Illinois Storage Corridor project aims to accelerate commercial deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage within the Illinois Storage Corridor, a region with proven geologic storage performance and numerous industrial carbon sources. Supported by a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the project involves characterizing and constructing two carbon storage sites:…
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Brooklyn, Illinois
According to oral tradition, Mother Priscilla Baltimore led 11 families of free and enslaved African Americans across the Mississippi River in 1829 to establish a freedom village in Brooklyn, Illinois. Besides being the first free Black town in the U.S., Brooklyn served as a key link in the Underground Railroad by which freedom seekers made…
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Vermilion River mussel rescue
When Vermilion River water levels fell as the Danville Dam was removed in 2018, hundreds of mussels had to find their way back to the river or they would perish on the shore. PRI researchers came to their rescue, moving hundreds of mussels from 21 species into deeper water. This included threatened and endangered species…
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Geothermal exchange system at U. of I. Campus Instruction Facility
PRI scientists played a key role in implementing a geothermal exchange system for the University of Illinois’ newly constructed Campus Instructional Facility that is expected to reduce the building’s energy usage (avoided energy) by 58% and carbon emissions by 70%— contributing to the campus’ zero carbon emissions goal. The PRI researchers’ work led to an improved…