National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR)

The National Institutes for Water Resources(NIWR) and IWR signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a long-term cooperation and partnership in development and practice of integrated water resources management. The Parties have a common interest in the advancement of water resources education and research, and in the sustainable development, management and protection of water resources.

About the Memorandum

Signed: October 17, 2009

Signing Parties:

• Anders W. Andren, President (NIWR)
• Robert A. Pietrowsky, Director (IWR)

Purpose: The NIWR and IWR will use their best efforts to establish a long-term cooperation and partnership in the development and practice of integrated water resources management through scientific research and joint activities or programs that support national, regional and local water resource needs.

Objectives and Function: The Parties are especially interested in pursuing cooperative opportunities in the following areas of common interest:

• Integrated water resources management and environmentally sustainable development
• Public works infrastructure, adaptive management, and adaptation to climate change
• Flood risk management, hydrologic analysis, risk analysis, and watershed systems modeling
• Environmental restoration, ecological design, eco-hydrologic analysis and water quality
• Decision-support systems, trade-off analysis, and water supply reliability
• Consensus building, public participation and citizen involvement, conflict management, alternate dispute resolution, and shared vision planning
• Water policy, governance, and institutional aspects of water and watershed management
• Capacity building, training; educational practices, methods, systems and curriculum development
• Water security, asset management, deterioration science and renewals engineering
• Effects of climate change on water resources and related ecosystems

The mechanisms for pursuing these cooperative opportunities include the following:

• IWR's various Visiting Scholar programs
• IWR participation the National Academy of Science's Research Associateship Program
• Applied research programs developed on topics of mutual interest\
• Collaboration on advanced degree programs in IWRM, as appropriate with individual institutions
• Information exchanges at NIWR National/Regional meetings and IWR workshops as appropriate
• Mutual leveraging of each party's communication instruments to promote opportunities and share information, such as training announcements, guest columns in newsletters, website articles, etc.
• Joint development of distance learning modules, as well as other educational tools
• Potential collaborative efforts addressing water resources problems, within the U.S. and abroad

About the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR)

The National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is a 501(c)4 organization that represents the 54 state and territorial Water Research Institutes and Centers in their collective activities to (1) advance competent research that addresses water problems or expands the understanding of water and water-related phenomena; (2) aids the entry of new research scientists into the water resources fields; (3) helps train future water scientists and engineers; (4) infuses the results of sponsored research to water managers and the public; and (5) focuses on applied research, including practical applications to improve water supply reliability and helps resolve water issues, working under the general guidance of the Secretary of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey. NIWR networks these various institutes into a coordinated unit, and facilitates, as appropriate, the response of the Water Research Institutes and its membership to other mutual concerns and interests in water.

Memorandum of Understanding (pdf, 1.49MB)