National water group taps Clemson expert to be president

Published: March 24, 2010

CLEMSON — Jeff Allen, director of the South Carolina Water Resources Center in the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson University, has been selected to be president of the National Institutes for Water Resources Inc. for 2011-2012.

“Dr. Allen’s election is a reflection of his outstanding leadership in building the Clemson program as a recognized national leader in university-based water research programs,” said Robert Becker, director of the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

Allen’s work with the Water Resources Center involves administering grant money from the U.S. Geological Survey, coordinating water research with a national network of water research institutes and identifying and pursuing critical water research needs for South Carolina.

“The research we do here in South Carolina, as well as across the country through the (National Institutes for Water Resources) network, is vital to understanding the complexities of water," Allen said. "Whether it be the engineering infrastructure of providing drinking water or irrigation; the ecological systems affected by water use; the social, political and economic systems controlling water; or the demographics putting ever-increasing demands on water, better information is essential to managing our critical water resources.”

The research emphasis of the water resources center in South Carolina focuses on the study of reservoirs and the watersheds in which these reservoirs are located. The South Carolina Water Resources Center formed an advisory board composed of stakeholders in water resources from both the public and private sector. The group helps guide the research emphasis of the center and helps find additional funding avenues.

Allen received his bachelor's degree in wildlife biology from Michigan State University, his master's degree in geography from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in policy studies at Clemson University.

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The National Institutes for Water Resources Inc. is a 501(c)4 organization. It represents the 54 state and territorial water research institutes and centers in collective activities to implement the provisions of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 and subsequent federal legislation amending or superseding the measure. As part of their legislative charge, they provide independent, objective and scientifically credible communication of research needs and results from states and localities to federal agencies, and outward to users of research results.