History
The Midwest Ground Water Conference is an annual meeting held at the invitation of a participating state. The conference provides an opportunity for hydrogeologists, geologists, engineers, students and others studying ground-water resources in their respective states to meet and exchange ideas, discuss mutual problems affecting the Midwest, and summarize results of field and laboratory studies. Those attending include individuals from local, state, and federal agencies (including the U.S. Geological Survey), colleges and universities, and industries. The meeting consists of technical sessions (usually one and a-half days) and a one-day or half-day field trip. The attendance is typically from around 100 to over 200. The conference was first held in Illinois in 1956, and has been an annual event every year since then. The states that have hosted the conference include Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The conference to be held in Lawrence, Kansas in early October 2014 will be the 59th. The conference was last held in Kansas (also in Lawrence) in 1998 and the attendance was about 200.