HYDROGEOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY

This session of the Portland Meeting is triggered by the fact that the Hydrogeology Division of GSA is now 50 years old. The organizers intended that hydrogeology be recognized as important sub-discipline in both Geology (and Engineering). Hydrogeology brought to Geology a quantitative approach that was unique at the time the Division was founded; that approach now pervades the entire discipline—a fact for which we can take some credit.

As population grows and the climate changes in the 21^st Century water becomes more critical for society, especially in the arid and semi-arid parts of the world. It is clear that in many instances society does a poor job in allocating its water resources. If as a society we are to succeed we will have to become more efficient managers of water. There is sufficient water for our needs if we allocate it wisely. Forty percent of Americans depend upon groundwater for their water supply. In future water resource scenarios groundwater will be an integral part of the resource.

Water in the 21^st Century challenges us as stewards of the resource—hopefully we can rise to the challenge. This is the legacy that the founders of the Hydrogeology Division.