The Groundwater Project – A much-needed initiative strengthening human capacity for sustainable groundwater management

HydroTerra is dedicated to sharing vital knowledge through our training, webinars, newsletters and forums. This has been somewhat in response to the decline in educational resources available around hydrogeology. Similarly, The Groundwater (GW) Project aims to enhance global understanding of groundwater and help address the related issues surrounding the freshwater crisis. This Project is creating awareness by developing and publishing educational books and materials across a wide array of topics. Additionally, they are building an online educational platform to ensure that this information is accessible to everyone, everywhere.

The GW-Project was founded in 2017 by John Cherry, in response to requests for a new version of the classic groundwater textbook Groundwater by Alan Freeze and John Cherry.  However, it soon became apparent that groundwater science had advanced far beyond the ability to have only one book to present the relevant material, and it would require multiple books to adequately cover the state of groundwater science.  

Since August 2020, the GW-Project has published 54 peer-reviewed books, written by some of the world’s leading experts in groundwater science. The books, which are available to download for free on the Project website gw-project.org, are being translated into many languages, with 75 translations published and a further 170 translations underway. With 30 books in the review process and 150 being prepared, the GW-Project’s high-quality educational resources are expanding, an accomplishment made possible by 1,000 volunteers worldwide (authors, reviewers, translators, and collaborators).  

In addition to books, the GW-Project has recently added Educational Videos and Online Interactive Learning tools to its website. Current Educational Videos are related to the published GW-Project books. Future videos will include groundwater education for children and information for the public at large, as well as specialized groundwater topics. Online Interactive Learning Tools  provide simplified interactive simulation models so the user can gain a more rigorous understanding of how the values of parameters affect outcomes in a hydrogeologic system. Three tools have been posted which cover water table recharge, topographically driven flow and transport particles. Many more will be posted over the next few months.  

The GW-Project is not government funded, is largely volunteer-based and relies on the grassroots generosity of individuals and companies. We encourage everyone who benefits from the GW-Project educational material to support the Project through financial contributions.

To make individual donations visit: gw-project.org/donate.

To join the sponsorship program, please contact the Director of Operations Amanda Sills (amandasills@gw-project.org).

To stay informed about GW-Project publications and new announcements please join the mailing list.