Rain is a blessing and a curse on research farms.  We cannot grow a crop with out it but when it comes in excessive quantities has a destructive result on University farms. UIUC's farms are intertwined too so as water flows downhill it passes from one department farm to the next.  This project looks to redesign the Energy Farm waterway and install a waterway on the Animal Sciences farm to the west so that water flow can be channeled to the Embarrass River in a more direct and environmentally sound path.  Benefits from this improvement will be higher quality research fields for student and faculty projects that currently have to contend with unknowns for how heavy rains might impact or damage their efforts.     

Students will get the opportunity to put their creative minds to work designing a state of the art waterway in ABE 456. Students experience will be augmented through a partnership with a local agricultural drainage coordinator, DIGS, which will work with the class in design through completion, allowing a practical application to the classwork.The Energy Farm is one of the well‐known locations for campus sustainability programs, and it had multiple   visitor groups  each year (pre‐covid), including student classes, community, industry, and government.  A sign placed along Race St at the waterway will publicize the project and funding sources, including SSC.