Survey celebrates 100 years of service

In June 1895, the UI Board of Trustees approved a special appropriation of
$5,000, "intended to cover the expense of carrying on a systematic survey
of the waters of the state" This was the beginning of the State Water
Survey, which officially commenced work Sept. 1, 1895.

As a unit of the UI department of chemistry, the Water Survey also
addressed the health and safety of public water supplies, including the
spread of waterborne disease, particularly typhoid; water-softening
methods; sewage and wastewater treatment; and the establishment of sanitary
standards for drinking water.

The Water Survey occupied quarters in the Chemical Laboratory (now Harker
Hall) until 1915, when it moved into a new addition to the Chemistry
Laboratory (now Noyes Laboratory). Survey staff members now work at the
Water Survey Research Center, 2204 Griffith Drive, Champaign, and at the
newly renovated Peoria Research Laboratory.
Under the direction of the first chief, Arthur Palmer, the Water Survey
began performing chemical analyses of water samples free of charge for
Illinois residents, thereby establishing a public service program that
continues to this day.

Today, Water Survey activities are organized under three major scientific
divisions and an administrative division, which address critical water
resource issues, including groundwater quality, sedimentation and erosion,
weather and climate stresses on the environment and the economy, and
flooding in both urban areas and open waters.