NGWA Groundwater for the Americas Conference in Panama
(aquadoc.typepad.com) WaterWired! Still shilling for another NGWA conference? You bet! NGWA's Groundwater for the Americas conference is now open for business. Conference information and the Call for Abstracts (due 28 November 2008) are now available at the WWW site.
This is great news - NGWA is actually convening a conference outside the USA. Yep, it's in Panama City, Panama, not the Panama City of Florida's "Redneck Riviera." Another important item - notice that "groundwater" is spelled as one word!
Okay, you know the drill. Here comes the requisite Disclosure notice: I am a member of NGWA, used to be on its Board of Directors, was chair of AGWSE, its largest division, blah, blah, blah...
Here is the WWW site blurb:
Taking place June 8-10, 2009 in Panama City, Panama, Groundwater for the Americas is envisioned as a place-based conference to facilitate dialogue among peoples of the Latin American region about how they can best manage their water resources in the context of socioeconomic and cultural realities.
Groundwater has been, since the advent of the submersible pump in the first half of the 20th century, a driving force for change—transforming semiarid and arid lands into verdant farmland, and contributing to the development of industry and urban communities throughout the world. At first considered a virtually endless or renewable source of supply, many recent examples of contamination and overdraft have cast doubt on the sustainability of groundwater use. Efforts to protect groundwater from further degradation and extend its period of use traditionally have focused on improved water management. However, as enunciated in the United Nations International Hydrology Programme IHP-VII themes and the proposed actions of the Alicante Declaration, effective groundwater management must also take into consideration the broader socioeconomic and cultural conditions that affect societal well-being.
A three-day event, Groundwater for the Americas is an opportunity for all who work in the groundwater community to address the broad spectrum of issues and concerns that inhibit efficient and effective groundwater management strategies.
The scope of the conference will be determined by people of the Latin American region and is expected to include such topics as:
- Environmental and ecological impacts on groundwater sustainability
- Groundwater, rain forests, and watersheds
- Salt water encroachment conditions caused by natural and man-made activities
- Identifying potable water supplies
- Groundwater contamination resulting from natural and man-made activities
- Pollution prevention of water resources and remedial solutions
- Transboundary groundwater issues including groundwater/surface water interaction
- Proper water supply well construction and well development
- North, South, and Central American country-by-country summaries of specific groundwater issues (successes and failures)
- Community-based water resources management planning
- Managed aquifer recharge and conservation as components of sustainable water resources management.
Workshops and expert table sessions will be integrated into the conference sessions and be designed specifically for practitioners. These sessions will be crafted to maximize networking and discussion by all engaged in groundwater activities. The complete program offers participants opportunities to enjoy special attractions and experiences native to Panama.
Call for Abstracts
NGWA is seeking abstracts that detail platform presentations for this conference. Abstracts are due by 11:59 p.m. ET, November 28, 2008 and are limited to 500* words in length. Following the review process, accepted platform presentations will be allocated 25 minutes on the program with each session concluding with a scheduled question-and-answer period. (Manuscripts may be requested of some authors following abstract acceptance.)
It will be held at the Holiday Inn City of Knowledge.
