Ohio Water Resources Center was recently reviewed along with the other 54 Water Resources Research Institutes by a panel appointed by the U.S. Geological Survey pursuant to Section 104(e) of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended. We are pleased to report the Ohio WRC along with 11 other WRRIs were evaluated to be performing at an outstanding level.
This result came after many years of targeted effort by the Center co-directors John Lenhart and Linda Weavers and associate director Zuzana Bohrerova to increase the visibility of the Ohio WRC to enhance support of water research at universities in Ohio, align the Center funding, provide outreach and education on state water issues, and improve the funding process for researchers.
We were able to achieve this result thanks to our various partners in Ohio and OSU and with input from our Advisory Board. The Ohio Water Development Authority is our state partner and long-term Ohio WRC supporter, and amplifies our impact by providing administrative and research funds and advising the Center. We strive to enhance the research, outreach and education on water issues in the State and not duplicate efforts, thus, we closely collaborate and leverage resources with Ohio Sea Grant, Water Management Association of Ohio, other state entities, NGOs and stakeholders.
We are excited to build on this panel review result and are progressing towards our strategic goals to improve Ohio WRC funding for researchers and further cultivate state partnerships. Solving the State and regional water issues will require extensive collaboration of many different stakeholders, and we are excited to do our part.