International Mine Water Association

The International Mine Water Association (IMWA) is the first scientific-technical association worldwide dedicated to mine water related topics.

History

IMWA was founded in 1979 in Granada, Spain, due to the steadily increasing problems related to water in the mining sector. Back then, the main focus of the association was on safety issues of water in mining. Over the years the focal point changed to more environmental issues. Since its conception, IMWA aimed to promote contacts between researchers, miners, consultancies, and students. For this purpose, IMWA organizes congresses every three years. In the years in between symposia are held. In 2014, 250 delegates from 40 nations are expected to attend the 12th IMWA Congress in Xuzhou (徐州), China.

Publications

Since 1982, the IMWA has published the Journal of the International Mine Water Association which was later (1994) renamed Mine Water and the Environment. Today, the Journal is available electronically (ISSN 1616-1068) and in printed form (ISSN 1025-9112) from Springer, (Heidelberg, Germany). Since 2010 it is listed in the Science Citation Index Expanded and is dispatched quarterly (March, June, September, December) to over 1000 subscribers worldwide. Its electronic articles are requested several thousands of times per month.