Analysis of Groundwater Level Changes, Surface Water Conditions, and Water Use in the Greater Barrington Region, 2014–2019

The Barrington area is dependent on shallow groundwater resources for water supply and is unusual in that much of the water demand required by its residents is met by private wells as opposed to centralized community water systems. The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) supports a groundwater and surface water monitoring program consisting of continuous and periodic water level measurements in local streams and in the shallow sand and gravel aquifer system (Henry Formation). BACOG also leads a yearly mass measurement of water levels at municipal wells within and surrounding the BACOG study area. We developed potentiometric surfaces (maps that represent aquifer water level elevations) for the sand and gravel aquifer system for the years 2014–2019 using geographic information system (GIS) interpolation tools, and from those developed potentiometric change maps. We also analyzed trends in baseflow conditions using United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage data and water use from the sand and gravel and shallow bedrock aquifers using Illinois Water Inventory Program (IWIP) data. The potentiometric surfaces show a consistent groundwater high in the western half of the BACOG study area due to the Henry Formation being at or near the land surface. Resultsfrom this study indicate that water levels in the sand and gravel aquifer within the BACOG study area have generally increased over the five-year study period. Water levels increased on average: 1) by around 5 feet at the continuously monitored USGS sites, 2) by 5.8 feet at the Illinois State Geological Survey monitoring wells, and 3) by over 5 feet at municipal wells. Baseflow alsotrended upward at the Fox River and Poplar Creek streamgaging sites. Regional municipal water use from the sand and gravel aquifer decreased from 16 million gallons per day in 2005 to around 13 million gallons per day in 2018. The increase in water levels may be due to a combination of less municipal water use, above average precipitation, and improved household water use efficiency. Because of the projected increases in precipitation intensity, flooding events, and climate variability, we recommend the continuation of BACOG’s groundwater monitoring program to understand long-term (decadal) trends in groundwater levels to support long-term regional planning of water supplies. Because of the predominance of private wells in the region and that a significant portion of the aquifer is susceptible to contamination, we also recommend that groundwater quality sampling be a focus of future BACOG studies.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewedOpe

Open data from the first and second observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo are monitoring the sky and collecting gravitational-wave strain data with sufficient sensitivity to detect signals routinely. In this paper we describe the data recorded by these instruments during their first and second observing runs. The main data products are gravitational-wave strain time series sampled at 16384 Hz. The datasets that include this strain measurement can be freely accessed through the Gravitational Wave Open Science Center at http://gw-openscience.org, together with data-quality information essential for the analysis of LIGO and Virgo data, documentation, tutorials, and supporting software

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo