In watershed systems studies, EIL undertook a number of projects in developing integrated simulation and optimization modeling systems for supporting water resources and environmental management. These were funded by the United Nations (UN), Environment Canada, Canadian International Development Agency, and NSERC, involving a number of watersheds in Canada, USA, China, and Thailand. For example, Dr. G. H. Huang acted as an international expert for the UN Environment Programme and led a project entitled "Sustainable environmental planning for the Lake Erhai Basin". In this project, EIL members developed an environmental decision support system (named IFMOP) based on a set of innovative simulation and multiobjective-optimization technologies. This project was appraised as the first quantitative watershed environmental planning study, and the developed IFMOP was introduced by the UN to researchers in many countries. EIL members also developed the Canada's first pesticide transport model that combines processes in canopy, soil, and surface-runoff subsystems within a general framework, with a case study for the Kintore Creek Watershed. Another contribution in this field was the improvement of nonlinear optimization routines for rainfall-runoff models through R&D of innovative global-optimization techniques. These research achievements received highly favorable appraisal and support from Environment Canada.

More recently, EIL undertook a project for climate-change adaptation planning in the Mackenzie Basin through developing a fuzzy multiobjective optimization model associated with a variety of simulation and assessment tools. As a new attempt for quantitative climate-change adaptation planning, the developed model can effectively handle various complexities and uncertainties; several decision alternatives under different climate-change scenarios were generated. This project was funded by Environment Canada and Canada Green Plan. In addition, a new commodity-by-industry input-output model was developed for regional environmental/economic planning within a waste management system. The method received significant attention by many peers throughout the world. It has been applied to a number of regional environmental management projects in USA, Europe, Japan, China and Taiwan. More recently, EIL members is exploring a new Canadian energy model that can reflect uncertain, dynamic, and multiobjective features of energy management systems. The related research includes the development of energy systems planning models for the Province of Saskatchewan and the Toronto-Niagara Region, funded by Saskatchewan Energy and Mines and Environment Canada. These modeling efforts provide bases for supporting decisions of energy-policy formulation and climate-change adaptation.

Currently, EIL is leading an international research consortium with experts from Canada, USA, China and Taiwan to develop an integrated system that consists of inexact and IT-aided methods for (a) modeling rainfall-runoff, hydrodynamics, soil loss, sediment transport and point/nonpoint source pollution as well as the related interactions, (b) optimizing short-term flood/pollution control and long-term water resources and environmental management, and (c) managing and presenting various systems information through a variety of information technologies.