About ISMAR

The ISMAR Symposium

The ISMAR conference series was born in August 1988 in Anaheim California as the 1st International Symposium on Artificial Recharge of Ground Water. Pioneered by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), it continued in Orlando, Florida (1994) before the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) partnered ASCE in Amsterdam (1998). Following the 4th Symposium in Adelaide (2002) the name changed to International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge to reflect the growing scientific basis supporting overt management of quantity and quality of recharge, and reflected the name of the IAH Commission on MAR, which was established in 2002. ASCE has also adopted this name for its relevant standards committee. Dedicated to a global reach, recent ISMAR conferences have been ISMAR 5 (Berlin, Germany, 2005) and ISMAR 6 (Phoenix, USA, 2007). ISMAR 7 will be held in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., October 9 - 13, 2010.

The Symposium continues as a joint venture of IAH/ASCE and is the prime international meeting in this field, adopting the Commissions aims, "to expand water resources and improve water quality in ways that are appropriate, environmentally sustainable, technically viable, economical, and socially desirable. It will do this by encouraging development and adoption of improved practices for management of aquifer recharge," IAH, January 2002.

What makes ISMAR 7 unique?

This year, ISMAR 7 will be held in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., which is an area of the world known for its pressing water needs, scarce surface water, and a diversity of landscapes, lithologies, technologies, and cultures. The high demand for water in the Middle East is setting the pulse for ISMAR 7, which will be of tremendous value for areas that have, or will soon have, high demand for water.

ISMAR 7 will significantly exceed ISMAR 6 in the number of technical presentations and poster presentations. In 2010, we will have more than 70 technical presentations and more than 110 poster presentations. We're also expecting a significant increase in the number of delegates, from just over 300 to more than 400.

ISMAR 6

ISMAR 6 was attended by 291 people from 26 countries and 27 U.S. states. This symposium brought together many of the world's experts on Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). The conference included four workshops, three days of technical sessions including a poster paper session each day, and a full day tour of three fascinating and contrasting recharge operations.

Talks were given by speakers from countries in Europe (Germany, Spain, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, England, and Sweden), the Middle East (Egypt, United Arab Emirates), Africa (South Africa, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda), Asia (India, Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia), Central America (Mexico), Canada, and Australia, covering a diverse range of MAR topics, including hydraulics and storage, the role of integrated water management, regulations, economics, geochemistry, the fate of pathogens and organic compounds, regional issues, basin recharge, subsurface water quality changes, and operational and management issues.