Delaware Water Resources Center
60th Anniversary Special Edition (1965-2025)
December 7, 2025
2025 DWRC Director’s Message
December 7, 2025
Today is December 7, 2025 (Delaware Day) and it’s the right day to unveil our 60th Anniversary Edition of the activities
of the Delaware Water Resources Center that was formed on campus at the University of Delaware way back in 1965!
On May 16, 2025. Martha, Andrew, and I chaired the 60th meeting of the University of Delaware Water Resources Center
Advisory Panel in Old College Room 202 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. It was appropriate to have
this 60th annual meeting in the most historic building on campus (circa 1838) as the original building of the University
of Delaware that held dormitories, a dining hall, and classes for 18 students all in one building. The UDWRC Advisory
Panel heard about the research of 15 undergraduate and 4 graduate water research students who presented their work
about the critical water issues in Delaware, the Delaware Valley, and the Nation concerning PFAS and lead in drinking
water, coastal/riverine flooding, sea level rise, fishery and habitat, and water economics. This research was supported by
the FY24 Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) appropriation from the President and Congress through the Dept. of
Interior and USGS and conforms with the 1964 law that charges the 54 water research institutes at land grant universities
throughout the nation with conducting important water research by training scientists and engineers and planners for
jobs after they graduate. And after hearing about the research conducted by the undergraduate and graduate students
over the Fall 2024 and Winter/Spring 2025 semesters, we conclude that, in its 60th year, the UDWRC has fulfilled its
water research, public service, and education mission for the good of Delaware and the Nation.
As winter approaches, we applaud the approval of the FY25 WRRA appropriation by the Interior Department and OMB
to bring the next cohort of 16 undergraduate and graduate research students to begin their research with the Fall 2025
semester. With Federal support from the Water Resources Research Act through USGS to our NIWR institute here in
Delaware along with local support from our State, county, and cities, we look forward to continuing our work at the
University, school, and the institute through FY26 and beyond.
We especially appreciate the scientists both on and off campus who support the students in the role of faculty advisors
and by participating on the UDWC Advisory Panel. They’ve made a difference in scientific research and in the lives of the
students who graduate go on to get good jobs in society and become the next generation of leaders in the United States.
Looking back, UD, Old College, and UDWRC were established 282, 187, and 60 years ago, respectively. That’s quite a test of time!
Gerald Joseph McAdams Kauffman, Jr.
Director, Delaware Water Resources Center
Director, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Water Science & Policy
Associate Professor, Biden School of Public Policy & Administration
University of Delaware
Newark, Del.
DWRC 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Dec 7, 2025)
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| UDWRC Advisory Panel Undergraduate Water Research Students at Old College Rm 202 (May 16, 2025) | UDWRC Advisory Panel May 16, 2025 Graduate Water Research Students |
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| Delaware Water Resources Center 60th Anniversary Special Edition (1965-2025), Front Cover | Delaware Water Resources Center 60th Anniversary Special Edition (1965-2025), Back Cover |