Outreach & Partnerships

The VWRRC is a member of the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR), the nationwide network of 54 Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program Institutes based at leading universities and colleges across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. As a volunteer-led organization, NIWR works closely with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to administer WRRA funding and drive critical water research, education, and outreach. Through strategic partnerships, NIWR helps attract and leverage non-federal funding to maximize federal investments in local water resource research. By fostering scientific innovation, community engagement, and workforce development, NIWR plays a vital role in addressing the nation's most pressing water challenges.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) administers the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA), which established the VWRRC and its fellow NIWR member institutes at land-grant universities across all 50 states, three U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. USGS provides each institute with grant funding to target local priorities, recruit researchers, and leverage federal dollars with state and private investment. The WRRA program is the only federally mandated initiative dedicated to applied water resource research, education, training, and outreach.

The VWRRC maintains active partnerships with its state USGS counterparts, including the Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, based in Richmond. The Water Science Center's Director serves on the VWRRC's statewide advisory board, and Water Science Center scientists regularly collaborate with VWRRC grant recipients.

For more than 25 years, the VWRRC has convened and coordinated a statewide committee of university-based water quality experts to support the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in fulfilling its EPA-required 303(d) and 305(b) reporting obligations under Virginia's Water Quality Monitoring, Information and Restoration Act (WQMIR). This group — known as the Academic Research Group — reviews and evaluates the scientific rigor of DEQ’s existing and evolving water quality assessment methodologies. Beyond this coordinating role, the VWRRC engages with DEQ across a broad range of research projects and collaborative partnerships.

The Virginia Water Resources Research Center (VWRRC) is an affiliate center of Virginia Cooperative Extension. The VWRRC has a clear mandate, rooted in both state and federal law, for outreach, information transfer, and extension activities. Established to develop, implement, and coordinate water and related land research programs across the Commonwealth, the Center is equally committed to disseminating research findings and facilitating their application by practitioners and policymakers. This mission is further reinforced by the federal Water Resources Research Act, which directs institutes like the VWRRC to promote the broad dissemination of research results to water managers and the public, and to collaborate with institutions at the state and regional level.

The Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) was established in 1999 to improve communication and coordination among water monitoring programs throughout the Commonwealth. The VWRRC serves as the Council's primary administrative home — a role made possible through its support from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality — and hosts the VWMC website.

Membership is open to any individual or organization with responsibility for, or interest in, water monitoring or water data in Virginia. The Council currently counts approximately 800 members representing more than 300 organizations. To keep this broad network informed, the VWRRC distributes weekly announcements to all members covering a board spectrum of regional, statewide, and national water-related events and publications.