IAH COMMISSION

ON HARDROCK HYDROGEOLOGY

ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 2008

1. Background

The IAH Commission on Hardrock Hydrogeology (HyRoC)was established in 1994 with the aim to stimulate international co-operation and facilitate exchange of information between hydrogeologists and other specialists interested in groundwater issues of hard rocks – fractured crystalline (igneous and metamorphic) and consolidated sedimentary rocks. The Commission is a flexible group of scientists and other professionals willing to co-operate and interested in theoretical and applied issues of hydrogeology of hard (fractured) rocks.

The Commission enables contacts between specialists from about 50 countries all over the world. In regions where the members of the Commission are willing to cooperate more intensively and in a continuous way Regional Working Groups (RWG) were established. The system of RWGs has proved to be a very effective tool of international co-operation in the field of hardrock hydrogeology. In Europe RWGs regularly convene workshops on different topics of hardrock hydrogeology starting from 1994.

The existing RWGs in Europe are:

• RWG of the Bohemian Massif - Central Europe: Steering Committee of the RWG is lead by Henryk Marszalek, Poland - hmar@ing.uni.wroc.pl; members: Gerold Diepolder, Germany - gerold.diepolder@lfu.bayern.de, Zbyněk Hrkal, Czechia - Zbynek_Hrkal@vuv.cz, Stanislaw Stasko, Poland - sstasko@ing.uni.wroc.pl, Uwe Troeger, Germany - uwe.troeger@tu-berlin.de.
• Iberian RWG : INFO in Portugal: Antonio Chambel - achambel@uevora.pt, in Spain: Fermin Villarroya - ferminv@geo.ucm.es).
• Fennoscandian RWG: Steering Committee consists of representatives of the three involved countries - Finland (Jussi Leveinen - jussi.leveinen@gtk.fi), Norway (Atle Dagestad – atle.dagestad@ngu.no) and Sweden (Bo Olofsson - boolof@kth.se).
• RWG of the Middle and East Mediterranean (MEM RWG): INFO: George Migiros from Greece – bagm@aua.gr

Twelve Workshops have been organised by the RWGs in Europe between 1994-2006 and results of all the workshops were published in the Proceedings as follows:

1994, Oct. 3-5 - 1st Workshop of the RWG of the Bohemian Massif in Rohanov (Czech Republic); Proceedings 1996 (eds. J.Krásný & J.Mls), Acta Universitatis Carolinae, Geologica, 40. Prague.

1996, Sept. 18-20- 2nd Workshop of the RWG of the Bohemian Massif in Borowice (Poland); Proceedings 1996 (eds.T.Bocheńska & S.Staśko), Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis, 2052. Wroclaw.

1997, Sept. 11-13 - 1st Workshop of the Iberian RWG in Miraflores de la Sierra (Madrid, Spain);Proceedings 1997 (eds. J.Yélamos & F.Villarroya): Hydrogeology of hard rocks. Some experiences from the Iberian Peninsula and Bohemian Massif. Madrid.

1998, May 26-27 - 1st Workshop of the Fennoscandian RWG in Äspö (Sweden);

Proceedings 2000 (ed. G. Knutsson): Hardrock hydrogeology of the Fennoscandian shield. Nordic Hydrological Programme NHP Report 45.

1998, Oct. 28-30 - 3rd Workshop of the RWG of the Bohemian Massif in Windischeschenbach (Germany); Proceedings 1998 (eds. R.Annau, S.Bender & S.Wohnlich), Münchner Geologische Hefte, B 8: Angewandte Geologie. München.

2001, August 14-16 - 2nd Workshop of the Fennoscandian RWG in Oslo (Norway);

Proceedings 2002 (eds. Erik Rohr-Torp & David Roberts).: Hardrock hydrogeology. NGU Bulletin 439. Trondheim.

2002, June 12-14 - 1st Workshop of the RWG of the Middle and East Mediterranean at the Tinos Island (Greece); Proceedings 2003 (ed. George Stournaras), Athens.

2004, June 7-9 - 3rd Workshop of the Fennoscandian RWGin Helsinki (Finland); Proceedings 2005 (eds. Esa Rönkä, Heikki Niini & Tuulikki Suokko). The Finnish Environment 790. Helsinki.

2005, May 18-21 - 2nd Workshop of the Iberian RWG in Évora (Portugal); Proceedings 2006 (ed. A. Chambel), Universidade de Évora.

2005, Oct. 5-6 -

2nd Workshop of the RWG of the Middle and East Mediterranean in Athens (Greece); Proceedings 2005 (eds. G. Stournaras, K. Pavlopoulos & T. Bellos)

2006, June 21-23 -

4th Workshop of the RWG of the Bohemian Massif in Jugowice (Poland); Proceedings 2007 (eds. H. Marszalek and K. Chudy): Selected hydrogeologic problems of the Bohemian Massif and of other hardrock terrains in Europe. Acta Universitatis Wratislaviensis 3041, Seria Hydrogeologia, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego. Wrocław.

2008, October 7-11 – 3^rd Workshop of the RWG of the Middle and East Mediterranean in Athens (Greece); Proceedings in two Volumes edited by G. Migiros, G. Stamatis and G. Stournaras).

In addition to regional workshops International Conference on "Groundwater in Fractured Rocks" was held in Prague in September 2003. Proceedings of the Prague Conference (published as UNESCO´s SERIES ON GROUNDWATER No. 7, Eds. Jiri Krasny, Zbynek Hrkal and Jiri Bruthans) of 440 pp. consist of 206 accepted extended abstracts selected from 286 previously submitted abstracts of authors from 52 countries.

During the 2007 IAH Congress in Lisboa the Symposium on “Thermal and Mineral Waters in Hardrock Terrains” was organised (Sept. 21-24), convened by J.M. Marques, A. Chambel and L. Ribeiro, who also edited the pre-published special volume of Proceedings.

Starting from 2006 the new South Asian RWG of the HyRoC was established, the first one out of Europe. The RWG would include India, Pakistan, Nepal, Srilanka to begin but more South Asian countries may be included. Hydrogeologists and other professionals interested in groundwater issues in hardrock terrains should contact Dr. Shakeel Ahmed (shakeelahmed@satyam.net.in) from the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India, who is willing to take up the responsibility in organising co-operation within this RWG. This activity is supported by the Indo-French Centre for Groundwater Research, participation of representatives from major respective organizations is expected. Advisers of the RWG are Prof. BBS Singhal and Dr. SD Limaye. The main objectives of the South Asian RWG are:

-       To enhance interaction among the hydrogeologists on their research work and establish effective contacts.

-       To exchange the experience both in the form of achievements as well as difficulties faced in tackling such research and the results obtained so far to arrive, if possible, at a viable methodology to tackle groundwater problems in hard rocks.

-       To acquire new ideas of tackling similar problems in the region.

Excellent possibility to reach at least some of these objectives will offer the 37^th IAH Congress to be held in 2009 in Hyderabad, India, focused directly on issues of hardrock hydrogeology.

The IAH Commission on Hardrock Hydrogeology looks also for partners who could help to establish RWGs in other parts of the world with extended hardrock terrains as for example in western Europe (France, UK, Ireland), eastern Europe (Ukraine, Russia etc.), in Brazil, in some parts of Africa, Canada, Australia and in other countries/groups of countries to foster a worldwide co-operation within the Commission.

2. Meetings in 2008

• 2008 (Oct. 8-10)- 3^rdMEM(MiddleandEastMediterranean) WorkshoponFissuredRocksHydrology(will be) held together with the 8^thInternational HydrogeologicalCongressof GreeceinAthens. More infoatwww.iah-hellas.geol.uoa.gror direct contact Prof. George Stournaras: stournaras@geol.uoa.gr

3. Meetings planned in 2009 and in the following years