Tim Cowdery has been a groundwater geologist in Minneapolis, MN since 1991. Tim's research interests include glacial geology, groundwater/surface-water interactions, quantification of groundwater flows, groundwater instrumentation, and numerical modelling.
Tim Cowdery currently serves as Leader for the Hydrogeology Team of the National Hydrologic Geospatial Fabric project. He also serves as a groundwater and database specialist for the Upper-Midwest Water-Science Center in Minnesota.
Tim has extensive experience in collecting groundwater data, including both instrumentation, telemetry, and correction automation. His interests also include graphical presentation of scientific ideas and graphical design.
In 1992, Tim became the groundwater specialist for the Red River of the North National Water-Quality Assessment, conducting groundwater-quality research at many spatial scales in that basin. He has designed and executed to several groundwater modeling studies at local and regional scales throughout Minnesota. He has developed systems for automated groundwater data collection, telemetry, and processing and has used these data to estimate the spatial and temporal variability of groundwater recharge.
During 2002–2018, Tim managed the USGS' Glacial Ridge Hydrologic Assessment, a groundwater/surface water interaction study that documents changes in the hydrology of a large area in northwestern Minnesota that underwent extensive wetland and prairie restorations. This project documented changes in hydrologic flows and quality resulting from the restorations. He continues to manage several other projects involving groundwater modeling, water-quality sampling, groundwater recharge, and continuous groundwater-level measurement.
During 2016–2020, Tim led a team constructing groundwater-flow models of the St. Louis River Basin as a whole and the area of historic iron-mining in detail. These models will provide boundary flows for future inset groundwater-flow models in the area and quantified the effects of historic iron mining on baseflows in the St. Louis River.
Professional Experience
Tim has spent his hydrogeology professional career at the USGS in Minnesota as a project chief, groundwater specialist and team leader. He started as a student in 1991 and a permanent employee in 1992.
Groundwater Characterization Team leader, 2019–2020.
Glacial Ridge Hydrologic Assessment project chief, 2002–2018.
Minnesota Water-Science Center Groundwater Specialist for Data, 2013–2017.
Red River of the North National Water-Quality Assessment groundwater specialist, 1992–1997.
Education and Certifications
Master of Science degree in hydrogeology from the University of Minnesota in 1997.
Bachelor of Arts degree in geology from Carleton College in 1983. Minor in East-Asian Studies.
Affiliations and Memberships
Sigma Xi, the Scientific Honor Society, 1983-present
Geological Society of America,1993-present
Minnesota Groundwater Association, 1995-present
Abstracts and Presentations
Cowdery, T.K., 2021, Hydrologic Change in the St. Louis River Basin from Mining in Northeastern Minnesota: Abstracts, 64th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, International Association of Great Lakes Research, Virtual meeting, https://iaglr.org/conference/downloads/2021_abstracts.pdf Accessed 15 December 2021.
Science and Products
Groundwater monitoring and research
Assessing Hydrologic Changes in the St. Louis River Basin from Past Land Uses
Continuous Groundwater Monitoring Network - Minnesota
Science and Products
- Science
Groundwater monitoring and research
Groundwater is an important water resource. The USGS collects information on the quality and quantity of groundwater and conducts advanced modeling of groundwater flow and groundwater/surface-water systems. The USGS also evaluates the effects of water-use, land-use, and climate change on groundwater, surface-water, and the ecosystems that rely on them.Assessing Hydrologic Changes in the St. Louis River Basin from Past Land Uses
Resource managers can use assessments of past and future land use to make science-based decisions. This project characterizes how changes in land use can change groundwater and surface-water flows in the St. Louis River Basin, MN. The USGS is constructing a set of groundwater models to simulate groundwater/surface-water interactions and evaluate how water flows have changed.Continuous Groundwater Monitoring Network - Minnesota
This project monitors groundwater level, groundwater temperature and precipitation at hourly intervals at a long-term network of sites throughout Minnesota. These data are collected from surficial and buried aquifers and can be used to estimate groundwater recharge and assist water-availability assessments. Data are corrected to manual measurements at least twice per year and are available through... - Data
- Publications