The National Institutes for Water Resources, Inc. (NIWR) is a 501(c)4 organization. It represents the fifty-four state and territorial Water Research Institutes and Centers in collective activities to implement the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, (Public Law 98-242) and subsequent federal legislation which amends or supersedes this Act. NIWR networks these separate institutes into a coordinated unit, represented by eight regional groupings, as indicated in the map below. NIWR also facilitates, as appropriate, the response of the Water Research Institutes and its membership to other mutual concerns and interests in water resources.

In regards to the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, NIWR cooperates with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to:

1. establish total programmatic direction
2. report on the activities of the state Water Institutes
3. coordinate and facilitate regional water research and information and technology transfer, and
4. operate the NIWR-USGS Student Internship Program to help train future water scientists.

For more information on the organizational structure of the National Institutes for Water Resources please refer to the NIWR by-laws [168 KB PDF] .

National Research Grants – WRRA Section 104(g)

104(g) grants authorized under the Water Resources Research Act focus on regional and interstate water resources problems beyond those of concern only to a single state. Research priorities for 104(g) grants are set jointly by the NIWR and the U.S. Geological Survey. In FY2006, emphasis was given to the topic of increasing water availability through technological and institutional/economic innovation.

All 104(g) grants must be matched by at least one non-federal dollar for each federal dollar. Awards are made only after joint state and federal priority setting and reviews for regional and national relevancy and technical merit. Objectives include:

1. promote collaboration between the USGS and university scientists in research on significant national and regional water resources issues
2. promote the dissemination and application of the results of the research funded under this program, and
3. assist in the training of scientists in relevant water resource fields. Proposals that include a strong educational component (student support) are encouraged, as are proposals from faculty beginning their careers.
   

Important regional research has not been adequately supported by any other federal programs and is weakly supported by state consortia. The 104(g) effort effectively taps the potential of academic expertise while facilitating linkages of Institutes across states and with federal and state agencies. 104(g) provides the major mechanism to meet the growing needs not filled by state or federal research programs.

Research grants awarded from 1996 to 2006 under Section 104(g) can be viewed at: http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/projects.html.

For water research and education accomplishments made possible by 104(g) funding for FY 2006, please refer to the Executive Summary [604 KB PDF].