Abstract
Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) of 1964 created the network of water research centers and institutes now known as the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). Through its unique model of shared federal, state, and local investment water in NIWR centers and institutes at public universities across the nation, the WRRA ushered in six decades of locally- tailored research, education, and outreach on water resource challenges as they continued to evolve. This special issue highlights the rich history and wide-ranging impacts of the work of NIWR centers and institutes. Appropriat