Shorelines and beaches are rapidly shifting and eroding as climate change causes ocean levels to rise and Great Lakes water levels to wildly fluctuate. But the most common responses to this erosion, specifically hard shoreline armoring and beach nourishment, raise serious …
The Center for Water Policy’s 2024-26 Water Policy and Science Communications Fellow Cami Armendariz won “Best Short Video” in the 2026 Planet Forward Storyfest competition! Cami’s video “Bringing Back the Giants: Sturgeon Restoration in the Milwaukee River Watershed” examines how …
The Great Lakes region is experiencing an AI-data center boom. Unprecedented demands of the industry on water supplies, electric grids, and local infrastructure have exposed gaps in our water policies. Center Water Policy staff Melissa Scanlan, Tressie Kamp, Emilie Washer, and Will Matuska’s Op-Ed in the Milwaukee Journal …
The Center for Water Policy has operated since 2011 after Lynde B. Uihlein endowed the Center with a charitable gift of $2.6 million. Today, we are thrilled to announce an additional generous gift of $4 million from Lynde B. Uihlein to the Center’s Endowment, part of her historic $10 million gift to the School …
Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan contributed to an E&E News article examining the water and sewer infrastructure needs of AI-data centers and how consumers feel the cost of expanding that infrastructure. “There is a real need to understand the impact on …
Looking to connect your water research with real-world decision-making? Check out our new video explainer of the Freshwater Collaborative Water Policy Network! Discover how the Center for Water Policy facilitates the Network, connects experts across the UW System through our searchable directory, hosts cutting-edge research webinars, and bridges the gap between science and policy by …
AI-data centers are rapidly proliferating across the United States. These facilities promise technological and economic benefits but have associated steep increases in electricity and water use that can strain local resources and infrastructure. Communities are reporting growing concerns over water scarcity, higher utility …
Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was a featured expert on the Milwaukee Journal’s Town Hall panel on water use by AI-data centers. Professor Scanlan highlighted that water demands include the water used to create electricity for the data centers …
The Center for Water Policy has launched a national search for a Water Policy Specialist. This position is designed to immerse emerging lawyers in the dynamic world of applied research for multidisciplinary water policy solutions. The Water Policy Specialist will …
The Center’s mission is to provide world class interdisciplinary solutions to resolve problems related to the protection, restoration, and conservation of freshwater resources. Our staff have already committed to over 20 private and public engagements in the first half of 2026 to advance that mission by sharing our expertise in the field of water law and policy. We will …
