Groundwater: a 2020 vision Challenges for the future

John Flett Theatre, Natural History Museum, London, 14 May 2009

Since it was launched in 1995, the UK Groundwater Forum has run a series of one-day conferences on topical issues relevant to the management of groundwater resources. 2009 was the tenth year in which one of these conferences has been held. To help mark this anniversary we invited a series of eminent speakers to explore the major challenges for groundwater management in the future.

We were very pleased to have had the involvement of Jonathon Porritt, Programme Director of Forum for the Future and Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission to set the sustainable development context for the presentations that followed. The groundwater management challenges were provided from the perspective of major players, including the environment regulators, the water industry and private users. Specific issues including ground heat management and emerging pollutants were also addressed. The degree to which research is addressing the needs of managers of the environment and water supplies was also explored.

Conference programme

Morning Session: Chair, Denis Peach, Chief Scientist, British Geological Survey

Introduction (PDF 0.9MB)
Denis Peach, British Geological Survey/Chair of UK Groundwater Forum Steering Committee

The sustainable development context
Jonathon Porritt, Programme Director of Forum for the Future and Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission

Changing groundwater priorities over the past 15 years (PDF 1.0MB)
Andrew Skinner, former Chair of the UK Groundwater Forum and former Director in the Environment Agency of England and Wales

Future challenges in protecting our water environment (PDF 3.3MB)
Tricia Henton, Director of Environment Protection, Environment Agency

Afternoon Session: Chair, Rob Sage, Water Resources Manager, Three Valleys Water

Water industry perspective on the main groundwater management challenges (PDF 5.9MB)
Luke deVial, Head of Resources, Wessex Water

Private water user perspective on the main groundwater management challenges (PDF 1.2Mb)
James Dodds, Director, JDIH Envireau

Integrated management of groundwater and heat (PDF 3.5MB)
David Banks, Director of Holymoor Consultancy Ltd.

Technological advances - how groundwater management might take advantage (PDF 11.6Mb)
notes for the talk (PDF 26 Kb) - this talk was not given on the day
Andrew McKenzie, Manager of Groundwater Information, British Geological Survey

Emerging groundwater pollution issues (PDF 8.6MB)
Peter Grathwohl, Professor of Hydrogeochemistry, Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen, Germany

Is groundwater research providing the answers to meet the environmental management challenges? (PDF 4.7MB)
David Lerner, Co-Director Catchment Science Centre & Head of Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group

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