Research Within The Water Sciences

Julie C. Padowski was selected as the second recipient of the NWRI Ronald B. Linsky Fellowship for Outstanding Water Research for her multi-disciplinary research proposal on water resources management, which will combine hydrological and managerial analysis approaches to evaluate water vulnerability in urban areas of the U.S.

A fourth-year Ph.D. candidate, Julie is studying water resources sustainability in the Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Her advisor is Dr. James Jawitz.

Her doctoral research project, entitled “A Combined Hydrological and Managerial Approach to Evaluating Urban Water Vulnerability,” is a study of water resources management in urban areas within the U.S.

According to Julie, “Many urban areas rely on shared resources to meet needs, and as climate change and population growth place more pressure on local resources, it becomes increasingly important for water managers to understand the limitations of their water supplies from both a local and regional context.” 

She has three research objectives:

• Quantify and evaluate the current state of water availability and vulnerability in U.S. urban centers with populations over 100,000.
• Identify current utility management responses to threats of water vulnerability.
• Examine how vulnerability affects urban centers in terms of management and costs.

The ultimate goal of her research is to determine the most effective strategies used by urban water managers to improve the resiliency of water supplies and reduce vulnerability.  Part of the fellowship funding will be used specifically to help Julie conduct a survey of urban utility managers across the U.S.  She expects to receive her doctorate in December 2011.