About
Our Members & Mission
The Midwest Water Stewards is a group of farmers and agribusinesses who are driven to protect and preserve the water resources that make our area one of the most valuable and viable regions for agriculture in the world. We care deeply for the natural resources we rely on from soils, to streams, to aquifers.
“The diversity of crops that are grown in our geographical area are very dependent on adequate irrigation... I would encourage all growers to participate in the MWS group, to insure that our water resources are protected for all future generations.”
Voluntary Groundwater Monitoring Network
In 2001, the US Geological Survey (USGS) Indiana Water Science Center and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), operated and measured (intermittently or continuously) 88 wells throughout the state. In 2015, that count dropped to 37 wells throughout the state. The USGS Indiana Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, have developed a quality assured volunteer groundwater data collection system to enhance the existing groundwater-level network for the state and provide usable data to the public.
Citizens throughout Indiana rely on its groundwater resources for public, commercial and industrial uses. The Voluntary Monitoring Program (VMP) is a collaborative effort between the Division of Water of the Indiana Department of Natural Resource (DOW-IDNR), the U.S. Geological Survey Indiana Kentucky Water Science Center (USGS-INKY) and a wide range of volunteers, including local utilities, homeowners, municipalities, and agricultural entities. These organizations and individuals work together to collect groundwater data at sites throughout the state for both short- and long-term applications.
Collaboration with Tritium, Inc.
Midwest Water Stewards has worked closely with the experts at Tritium, Inc. for the past 10 years to monitor and manage our water resources and ensure we use them in a responsible, sustainable manner.
Tritium, Inc. has twenty-plus years of hydrogeologic experience working solely with high-capacity groundwater wells and environmental impacts in Michigan and Indiana. Other highlights include:
Todd Feenstra is a licensed professional geologist, certified professional geologist and has USGS training for stream and groundwater work.
Seth Miller is a project hydrogeologist with expertise in geophysics, stream discharge and streambed conductivity measurements, aquifer testing and modeling, water level data collection and database management, and drilling with sediment logging.
Ten years of continuous study, data collection, and modeling in southern Michigan and northern Indiana, specific to crop irrigation.
Ten years of building trust, contacts, and a reputation for high-quality work of the highest standard with farmers, regulators, legislators, and the general public.
Hundreds of public presentations of our work, data, models, and conclusions.