Deadline: April 14, 2025
Download the call for abstracts here

Indiana Water Resources Association Symposium
Foundations and Future
June 25-27, 2025
Abe Martin Lodge at Brown County State Park

The IWRA would like to invite you to participate in the 44th Indiana Water Resources Association Symposium to explore essential topics in water resource management and future innovations. This symposium will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, focusing on essential tools and strategies for effective water resource planning now and in the future. Join us as we work together towards informed water management throughout Indiana.

Symposium Themes

• Understanding Fundamentals: Revisit the core principles of water resource management, including components of the water cycle, water quality, and the environment.
• Innovative Technologies: Explore the latest technological advancements that are reshaping water conservation and management.
• Collaborative Solutions: Foster collaboration among stakeholders to develop integrated and sustainable water resource management strategies.
• Future Challenges: Identify key challenges such as weather and climate variability, population growth, and economic development that impact water resources.

Call for Abstracts

Interested in participating as an individual oral or poster presentation?
• Submit your abstract along with this form to Garth Lindner at glindner@dnr.in.gov by April 14, 2025
• Choose one of the themes listed above for your presentation
• Abstracts should be limited to 250-500 words

Symposium Registration Fees

Registration fees have not yet been determined but we are very focused on affordability. Information on registration fees will be provided later this spring in the symposium program announcement and at the IWRA web site www.iwra.info. Student presenters will have their registration fees paid by IWRA.

Student Scholarships

IWRA especially values student presentations and sponsors a Student Scholarship Fund designed to cover student expenses for attending and presenting at the Spring Symposium. All student-submitted abstracts will be considered for a scholarship. Please contact Sally Letsinger, sletsing@iu.edu, if you have questions concerning student scholarships.

Schedule for Abstract Submission, Acceptance, and Presentations

• April 14, 2025                Deadline for abstract submissions
• April 28, 2025 (approx) Notification of abstract acceptance
• June 25-27, 2025            44^th IWRA Symposium

The Indiana Water Resources Association

The Indiana Water Resources Association (IWRA) was founded in 1979 as a state section of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA, www.awra.org) to promote water resources research, education, and communication in Indiana. The IWRA is an organization of several hundred professionals and students working in all aspects of water resources. Its members include scientists, engineers, technicians, environmental health specialists, regulators, educators, lawyers, policy makers, and students from government, universities, industry, consulting firms, and other water-related groups. One of the main goals of IWRA is to facilitate communication and the exchange of information within the water-resources community of Indiana. Please view our conferences as an opportunity to present your work, in a relatively informal atmosphere, to Indiana’s water-resource professionals. Because many of our members do not regularly attend national meetings, we encourage you to present papers that you may have given previously at national or regional professional meetings.

Further Information:

For further information about the 2025 IWRA Symposium, please contact IWRA President Garth Lindner, glindner@dnr.in.gov. Additional information concerning IWRA is located at the Indiana Water Resources Association website: www.iwra.info

Download the letter from Garth Lindner here

Dear Members and Friends of IWRA,

The IWRA would like to welcome you to attend the 44th Annual Indiana Water Resources Association Symposium 2025 at Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park, June 25-27, 2025. This year’s annual meeting will explore intersecting themes ranging from principles of hydrology and water resources to explorations of innovative solutions for water-related matters. This multi-day symposium will continue its now decades long role as a leading platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration for partners in water resources, statewide and beyond. Sessions and activities will focus on tools and insights to inform structured decision making for future water resource management decisions. In the spirit of the IWRA goals, expect diverse topics related to the many aspects of water resources to foster open communication across the water resources community.

Details, the call for abstracts, and sponsorship opportunities are forthcoming, and we hope you will share this information with colleagues who may be interested in participating in or attending the symposium. We are considering an activity or field trip – please share ideas for activities in South-Central Indiana. We are excited for the opportunity to serve as a catalyst to bring the IWRA community together this coming summer.

Officers for 2025:
President: Garth Lindner, Indiana Dept of Natural Resources, glindner@dnr.in.gov
Secretary: Ginger Davis, Indiana Geological and Water Survey, gindavis@iu.edu
Treasurer: Joe Schmees, The Nature Conservancy, joseph.schmees@tnc.org
President-Elect: Aubrey Bunch, U.S. Geological Survey, aurbunch@usgs.gov

2024 Symposium Recap
The IWRA held the 43rd Annual Indiana Water Resources Association Symposium on November 7, 2024, at MADE@Plainfield, Plainfield, Indiana. The symposium was sponsored by the Indiana Water Resources Research Center and INTERA. Thank you to all volunteers for the hard work towards a successful 2024 Symposium.

IWRA Awards Summary for 2024: Scott Morlock (U.S. Geological Survey) and Harold Templin (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) were posthumously awarded the Bechert Award. The Charles H. Bechert Award is presented to a member of the water-resources community who has contributed significantly to water-resources activities in the State of Indiana.Yu Peng (IU-Indianapolis, Graduate) and Maddie Milharcic (Purdue University, Undergraduate) were awarded best student presentation awards after a lively (nice!) poster session.

Interested in nominating an individual for the 2025 awards?
Please submit a nomination for the IWRA Charles Harold Bechert Award and/or the IWRA Outstanding Achievement Awards for presentation at the 2025 symposium. The Bechert Award celebrates lifetime achievement of excellence in water resources, whereas the IWRA Outstanding Achievement Awards honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the goals of IWRA:

Promotion of research and technical, social, economic, advances in all aspects of water resources; Collection and dissemination of water-resources information through publications, symposia, and other media; Relating the needs of water-resource institutions for specialized services or guidance to qualified professionals; or initiating and maintaining lines of communication in the water-resources community.

Nomination forms are available on the IWRA website along with more information about the Bechert Award and the IWRA Outstanding Achievement Awards: http://iwra.info/forms/IWRA_award_nomination_form.pdf

Please send your nominations to Mark Basch, IWRA Awards Committee, mbasch@dnr.IN.gov.
The deadline for nominations is May 30, 2025.

Know someone interested in joining IWRA?
Join your colleagues by becoming a member of the IWRA! To join ($34) online, go to: https://iwra_membership.eventbrite.com; or to avoid processing fees, download this form http://iwra.info/2025/IWRA_Membership_Form.pdf and mail it along with your check to our treasurer. You can also renew your membership for 2025, although if you attended the 2024 Symposium in Plainfield, IN, in November 2024, your registration included a complimentary membership for 2025. Please support IWRA and our student scholarship program. Thank you for your support!

Regards,

Garth Lindner
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water
2025 IWRA President
Indiana Water Resources Association
Promoting Water Resource Science, Management, Education, and Communication for Professionals and Students
http://iwra.info

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THANK YOU! We thank those individuals that supported the IWRA Student Scholarship Fund in 2024: Bob Autio, Tony Bailey, Mark Basch, Laura Bowling, Keith Cherkauer, Ginger Davis, Kathleen Fowler, Jane Frankenberger, Jeff Frey, Art Garceau, Rajindra Gosine, Rosemarie Hansell, Luke Johnstone, Dave Knipe, David Lampe, Sally Letsinger, Jeff Martin, Martha Clark Mettler, John Mundell, Greg Nethery, Klaus Neumann, Doug Opell, Andrew Pappas, Mark Pyron, Monique Riggs, Chris Ritz, Joe Schmees, Troy Weaver, John Wilson, Oliver Wittman, and Lorraine Wright. Your support of the scholarship fund is critical for enabling student participation at our meetings.

WELCOME! We are almost back to our pre-pandemic membership level! Our current members include: Bob Autio, Tony Bailey, Kate Barrett, Mark Basch, Judith Beaty, Bill Blomquist, Phil Bonneau, Laura Bowling, Eliza Brown, Matthew Burlingame, Sarah Caffery, Beth Carter, Shuo Chen, Keith Cherkauer, Kristi Cox,
Kendall Daniels, Ginger Davis, Laura Esman, Liberty Flora, Danielle Follette, Bella Foster, Kathleen Fowler, Jane Frankenberger, Jeff Frey, Marty Frisbee, Arthur Garceau, Raj Gosine, Glenn Grove, Andrew Gustin, Fikru Hailu, Rosy Hansell, Matt Hardebeck, Seth Harden, Shannon Hayes, Jeff Healy, Mark Hopkins, Mark Howell, Eliza Hudson, Maria Iturbide-Chang, Kristi Johnson, Luke Johnstone, David Knipe, Timothy Kroeker, David Lampe, Sally Letsinger, Zhiying Li, Garth Lindner, Randy Maier, Allison Mann, Jeff Martin, Martha Clark Mettler, John Mundell, Shawn Naylor, Greg Nethery, Klaus Neumann, Mary Claire Noble, Doug Opell, Andrew Pappas, Erica Penna, Angie Plank, Harvie Pollard, Vickie Poole, Mark Pyron, Gretchen Quirk, Sarah Reilly, Monique Riggs, Chris Ritz, Jane Roberts, Martin Ryan, McKailey Sabaj, Joe Schmees, David Scott, Halis Simsek, Maggie Sullivan, Adam Thada, Cary Troy, Rachel Walker, Jaron Walling, Phil Ward, Troy Weaver, Jit Weir, John Wilson, Jack Wittman, Oliver Wittman, and Lorraine Wright.

43rd Annual Indiana Water Resources Association Symposium
November 7, 2024 at MADE@Plainfield, Plainfield, Indiana

You may download the Symposium agenda here: SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

You may download the abstracts for the Symposium presentations here: SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS

Symposium Highlights!

• Dr. Jack Wittman of INTERA gave a keynote presentation of the 10-year update of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Water Policy and Planning report.
• Professor Eliza Brown (DePauw University), a composer, introduced their significant piece of music based on field recordings taken along Big Walnut Creek (Putnam County, Indiana), which will be premiered at DePauw University next May.
• 100 attendees were present, including 10 oral presentations and a dozen scientific poster presentations.
• Awards
  • Yu Peng (IU-Indianapolis) and Maddie Milharcic (Purdue University) were awarded best student presentation awards after a lively poster session.
  • This year, Scott Morlock (U.S. Geological Survey) and Harold Templin (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) were posthumously awarded the Bechert Award for lifetime achievement in water resources.
• The business meeting following symposium resulted in the election of the 2025 IWRA Board:
  • President: Garth Lindner, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water
  • President-elect (2026): Aubrey Bunch, U.S. Geological Survey
  • Secretary: Ginger Davis, Indiana Geological and Water Survey
  • Treasurer: Joe Schmees, The Nature Conservancy

Thank you to our sponsors:

With the new year comes the opportunity to begin or renew your membership in the Indiana Water Resources Association. Indiana Water Resources Association (IWRA) is a scientific and educational not-for-profit organization established to encourage interdisciplinary communication among persons working in all aspects of water resources. Dues for the calendar year are $30.00 for a regular member and $10.00 for a student member. To use this online payment option, payment processing fees will be added. A voluntary contribution to the IWRA Student Scholarship Fund also may be made.

Questions concerning memberships may be directed to Joe Schmees (jschmees@gmail.com) or Sally Letsinger (sletsing@iu.edu)

If you would like to pay (join or renew) your 2023 Indiana Water Resources Association Membership fees online, you may do so here: https://iwra_membership.eventbrite.com. The annual regular membership fee is $34.00, ($30.00 plus a $4.00 fee to process the payment online). A student membership is $10 (online payment fees waived).

Checks are still happily accepted (and with no additional fees). Mail this form and your check to the address on the form.

Either method of joining the IWRA or renewing your 2024 membership allows the opportunity for a tax-deductible donation to the IWRA Student Scholarship Fund, which supports attendance and presentations by students at our Spring symposium. Please be generous!

Thank you for your support of the Indiana Water Resources Association!

IWRA Membership Committee

Several colleagues were recognized at this year’s Indiana Water Resources Association symposium for their contributions to the profession. To read about this year’s award winners and their accomplishments: http://www.iwra.info/2023/IWRA 2023 Awards Summary.pdf

Bechert Award: Randy Bayless, U.S. Geological Survey

Outstanding achievement awards:

Outstanding student presentation awards:

• Karthik B. Shivaram; Purdue University – for the poster on “Algal-bacterial consortia to treat high-strength shell egg processing wastewater”
• Dongseok Yang; Purdue University – for the presentation on “Eco-intensification using recycled drainage water for fertigation”