ABOUT US
The Ground Water Research & Education Foundation (GWREF) is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation dedicated to promoting research and education related to the protection of ground water. The foundation is comprised of a board made up of volunteers from government, institutes of higher education, and the public appointed through the Ground Water Protection Council.
OUR MISSION
To promote and conduct research, education, and outreach, in the areas of development and application of technical systems, pollution prevention efforts related to ground water protection, underground injection technology, and watershed conservation and protection.
The Foundation Goals
Support the Ground Water Protection Council in the fulfillment of its mission to improve the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of groundwater.
Identify and facilitate research aimed at enhancing the protection, conservation, and sustainability of groundwater resources.
Develop education and outreach initiatives to increase the level of understanding of groundwater resources.
Provide practical tools and resources for stakeholders to use in the management and protection of groundwater
Eligible Activities
Basic Research
To support the introduction of new ideas or the advancement of existing concepts in the fields of groundwater science, pollution prevention and remediation, waste disposal, recycling and management, or the dynamics of interaction between groundwater and surface water. An example of such research is the development of improved analytical solutions to simulate flow and transport in aquifers that exhibit characteristics of both porous and fracture flow systems. Such an approach would be greatly beneficial in predicting residence time and fate of fluids injected into deep formations.
Applied Research
To respond to the needs of working professionals for new and improved methods in field investigation that improve the accuracy of data gathered, or to devise more cost effective approaches of doing so. Examples of this research may be improved methods of maximizing the location of UIC wells, and the development of better methods for verifying the mechanical integrity of injection wells.
Surveys
To evaluate the need for commonality of a particular practice among industries, or the prevalence of a particular concern among stakeholders, or simply to provide a nation-wide inventory of a particular issue. Examples of such surveys would be the development of an inventory of the number, type and location of UIC wells within source water protection areas, the amount of money spent by each state in implementing a particular regulatory program, or the existence and number of ambient (non-regulatory) monitoring wells in each state.
Information Gathering, Compilation & Analysis
To analyze information in order to provide a scientific basis for confirming or refuting common assumptions. Examples of this type of activity may include the analysis of data to establish whether there are correlations between the disappearance of wetlands, or saltwater intrusion associated with over-pumping of water supply wells.
Education & Outreach
To publish, distribute, and publicize educational products of the GWPC, the Foundation itself, or states or the federal agencies that are of interest to the GWPC membership or groundwater stakeholders at large. Examples include offering short courses to train professionals in using a new model for delineating zones of protection around public water supply wells.