IMWA - International Mine Water Association

The International Mine Water Association (IMWA) is an interdisciplinary organization focused on various aspects of mine water, including its hydrology, chemistry, biology, environmental aspects, and potential reuse, as well as how best to control it through better prediction, management, and treatment. Some members of IMWA are experts in specific branches of natural sciences and technology and conduct research that is directly relevant to mine water problems while many others are practioners, consultants, and regulators who are interested in learning how the results of such research can be applied at specific sites. IMWA was founded in 1979 in Granada, Spain as a result of interest shown at the “First International Mine Drainage Symposium”. Since then, we have organized a Congress every three years and annual symposia and workshops on topical subjects, which have included: Hydrogeology of Coal Basins; Mine Water and Pumping; Acid Mine Water; First African Mine Water Symposium; Water Resources at Risk; Engineering in Karst; and Mine Water and the Environment Membership in IMWA is open to everyone with an interest in mine water, and all members receive a subscription to the journal “Mine Water and the Environment”, for which relevant papers are invited for publication. The journal attempts to bridge the gap between researchers and practioners by only publishing research papers that the editors believe are potentially relevant to real-world problems and by publishing case studies submitted by practioners.