The Ubiquitous WebGIS Analysis Toolkit for Extensive Resources (uWATER) and Examples on Groundwater Studies for Water Supply Planning in McHenry County, Illinois

A major challenge of scientific research is communicating complex scientific/technical results in easily understood terms so they can readily be used by policy makers and stakeholders to develop rational management decisions. A GIS-based decision support systems (DSS) permits visualization of considerations pertinent to the decision-making process and allows participation by non-technical decision makers.  We present two GIS plug-ins that aid in visualizing alternative approaches for natural resource management in intuitive and simple approaches: (1) the ubiquitous WebGIS Analysis Toolkit for Extensive Resources (uWATER) and (2) its extension, the uWATER-Pumping Assessment (uWATER-PA) program, both of which can be downloaded at http://www.isws.illinois.edu/gws/sware/ and which include a user’s manual and example files.

McHenry County is located approximately 30 miles northwest of Chicago and is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. Midwest. McHenry County water supplies are greatly dependent upon shallow groundwater sources, and due to the distance to Lake Michigan, the County is unlikely to receive allocations of Lake Michigan water, making the County dependent on groundwater to support future population growth and economic development. From 1969 to 2008, the population almost tripled, and groundwater withdrawals have increased from 1.2 billion cubic feet (24.6 mgd) in 1979 to 2.3 billion cubic feet (47 mgd) in 2008.  A major challenge of ongoing water resource studies in McHenry County and elsewhere is development of a tool improving stakeholder understanding of scientific conclusions and facilitating their use in formulating evidence-based management policy.  With this free GIS-based DSS, decision/policy makers can consider the results of technical modeling, along with societal values, when making decisions that affect sustainable resource management.