Proposal for IAH Commission on Management of Aquifer Recharge:

IAH-MAR has its roots in the Working Group on Artificial Recharge, founded in 1998 by Ivan Johnson of AIJ Consultants in Denver and formerly of USGS, an activist for more than 30 years in artificial recharge research and practice, and leader of the ASCE/EWRI Standards Committee for Artificial Recharge. The group had its first meeting in November 2000 at Cape Town (IAH XXX). The change in name from 'Artificial Recharge' to 'Management of Aquifer Recharge' reflects the reality that water banking and bank filtration harness natural processes to manage and enhance aquifer recharge, a vital tool in the sustainable management of the world's groundwater resources.

AIMS: "IAH-MAR 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. This will be achieved by increasing awareness of MAR among IAH members, related professions and the community, by facilitating international exchange of information between members (e.g. via a web page and an email list), by disseminating results of research and practical experience (e.g. via conferences and reference database), and by undertaking joint projects and activities identified as important by its members." At the 2nd meeting of IAH MAR in Munich it became clearer that these aims would require a sustained series of activities over a number of years. With UNESCO informally advising that it intends to have recharge enhancement as a priority area within the 6th International Hydrologic Program, 2002-2007, it seems desirable for IAH to reinforce this initiative by indicating that it intends to remain active in this arena for at least this period. Working groups are generally formed for a specific purpose and dissolve when this has been achieved. Commissions represent clusters of activity that operate over a longer term and generally embrace larger objectives that require sustained effort. Hence renaming the IAH-MAR Working Group as a Commission on Management of Aquifer Recharge would send a signal to UNESCO and its sister agencies that IAH can be relied on to be actively engaged in addressing the above aims over the longer-term. It also reflects that the aims of the working group cannot realistically be achieved without sustained effort.

Proposed Milestones for Commission on MAR:

It is appropriate to specify the criteria by which the effectiveness of an IAH Commission on MAR may be judged. These reflect the goals it intends to achieve and the way in which it intends to operate.

1. That by 2004 all new recharge enhancement projects in developing and developed countries are appropriate and sustainable. Specifically

(1) that recharge enhancement is part of an integrated plan including demand reduction where aquifers are over-exploited, and
(2) that planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of recharge enhancement projects take into account sustainability of the project technically, environmentally, socially, and in a regulatory context and from a catchment/basin perspective.

Assessment criteria:

• Relevant literature eg proposed UNESCO Wise Strategies for Recharge Enhancement completed and available on a web page by Sept 2002, disseminated at ISAR4, and available as text through UNESCO regional offices and IAH National Chapters.
• These topics are included within short courses run by IAH-MAR
• Feedback from item 4.

2. That there is continuous improvement in the design and operation of all types of managed recharge projects throughout the life of the commission.

Assessment criteria:

• IAH-MAR encourages an increase in research and development, including assessment of performance of existing MAR projects, and improved understanding of fundamental physical and biogeochemical and ecosystem processes - number of postgraduate students working on MAR research, number of research projects, demonstrated integration of research projects
• In conjunction with other groups such as ASCE/EWRI, universities, research institutions and practitioners, disseminate information on improvements in design, operation and maintenance of MAR projects - number of items related to this on web page and its links, or on email list
• Feedback from item 4.
  

Assessment criteria:

• Feedback from item 4, and from UNESCO World Water Reports

4. That knowledge of the world status of the installed capacity and effective utilisation of managed aquifer recharge be determined, so as to assess its uptake and effectiveness.

Assessment criteria:

• Establishment of a stock-taking mechanism, initially to be informal via membership to ultimately become formalised through adsorption by other organisations undertaking related tasks

5. That IAH-Commission on MAR plays a central role in integrating international and national efforts in this field, and provides effective communications via web pages, email list, and links with other organizations with common goals.

Assessment criteria:

• By mid 2002 production of a brochure, supported by UNESCO and jointly with major collaborators, to assist in international networking and future coordination
• Number of active members, number of countries represented, number of active collaborating organisations, number of members on email list, number of hits on web-page(s), proportion of tasks entraining members of other organisations, companies, associations, influence on and coherence of relevant goals of other organisations and of IAH

6. That IAH MAR stimulates and promotes training and education programs, workshops and conferences in order to ensure effective communication to all with a need to know, and with particular consideration to those in developing countries. Notionally one international conference in 2002 and 2006, with regional conferences alone or integrated within national and international IAH meetings.

Assessment criteria:

• Ssuccessful ISAR4 conference in Adelaide 22-26 Sept 2002
• Successful UNESCO/IAEA/IAH workshop on evaluation of recharge enhancement in arid and semi arid areas, Adelaide 21-22 Sept 2002
• Number of events organised and attendance, number of countries represented, proportion of positive feedback forms from attendees at organised training programs, number of postgraduate students working on MAR research

7. That IAH-MAR has a capacity to respond to needs in this area, particularly for developing countries and where needs are severe.

Assessment criteria:

• Proportion of demands that are met