Research Role Strengthened by National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation

The directors of the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (NGWREF) have strengthened the Foundation's role in research grant making.

"An obvious change is the amendment of the Foundation's name to the National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation," explains Kevin McCray, executive director of the Foundation. "While research has been a part of the formal mission of the Foundation since 1994, and one research project has been funded to date, the Board wishes to do more and believes a name change strengthens that commitment."

The Foundation funded a 1999 study by Spectrum Economics on the trends impacting the residential water well market in the United States. The study features regional household water well demands through the year 2020.

The NGWREF looks to fund grants for high-quality research projects that expand the body of ground water and water well technology available to practitioners, to assist practitioners in understanding and applying this knowledge, and contribute to the ground water community's effectiveness in serving the greatest public good.

To benefit the quality of life for people around the world, NGWREF will deliver objective and practical scientific and technical research exploring new and challenging topics that provide a unique perspective to inform and advance ground water.

The Foundation expects to support research related to ground water

* well technologies;

* use, management and protection;

* remediation; and

* fundamental understanding of the ground water resource, including its quantity, quality, movement, etc.

Other funds of the Foundation include the

* Len Assante Scholarship Fund;

* Henry Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Hydrogeology Fund;

* William McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology Fund;

* International Science and Engineering Fair Awards Fund;

* Developing World Fund; and

* 21st Century Fund.

Research grant making guidelines are in the final stages of development and will be available to researchers in the first quarter of 2004. The Board of Directors of the National Ground Water Association made a $20,000 grant in 2003 to support Foundation research and has pledged up to $50,000 for 2004.

Information on the Foundation's research role, as well as it other funding areas, can be found at www.ngwa.org/ngwef/ngwef.html.

Source: NGWA