National Ground Water Association
601 Dempsey Road
Westerville, Ohio 43081
USA
Phone 614 898.7791
(toll-free within the United States 800 551.7379)
Fax 614 898.7786
E-mail ngwa@ngwa.org
Web sites:
Primary staff contact
Kevin B. McCray, CAE, Executive Director
Founding date
1948 (as National Water Well Association; name changed in 1991)
Who we are
The National Ground Water Association is the hallmark organization for anyone affiliated with the groundwater industry. A nonprofit organization, NGWA is comprised of more than 13,000 U.S. and international groundwater professionals—contractors, scientists and engineers, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers. Our purpose is to provide guidance to members, government representatives, and the public for sound scientific, economic, and beneficial development, protection, and management of the world's groundwater resources.
Our mission
Dedicated to advancing groundwater knowledge.
Our vision
To be the leading groundwater association that advocates the responsible development, management, and use of water.
Our goals
- To further water knowledge and protection through education and outreach
- To use advocacy to advance the interests of our membership
- To serve members by creating community
- To develop and improve professional practices and procedures for the public’s interest.
Membership in NGWA
- Four membership divisions—contractors, scientists and engineers, manufacturers, and suppliers
- Fourteen member interest groups—Aquifer Protection, Deep Ground Water Investigations, Developing Countries, Economics of Ground Water, Geothermal Energy, Ground Water Availability, Ground Water Law, Ground Water Modeling, High Capacity Pumps and Wells, Horizontal Wells, Internet Ground Water Data, Microbial Ground Water Quality, Regulators, and Transboundary Ground Water
NGWA member benefits
- NGWA is the industry leader in continuing professional education, offering short courses, workshops, and conferences year-round
- Conducts annual trade shows
- Offers large selection of books and other educational materials
- Provides discounts on various products and services important to the membership, including commercial property and casualty insurance, contractors pollution liability insurance, and environmental errors and omissions insurance
Number of members
More than 13,000
Board of directors
- The national board has 16 voting members and three observers
- Each membership division has an oversight board
- Delegates from the general membership modifies the code of regulations
Affiliated organizations
- Affiliate States — 39
- NGWA maintains State Center for Ground Water Policy
- NGWA maintains Resource Center for Association Management for state association leaders
- NGWA conducts an annual Affiliate State Leadership Conference
Memorandums of understanding
- Association of American State Geologists
- Defense Activity for non-Traditional Education Support
- Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society
- Geological Society of America
- Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium
- International Association of Hydrogeologists
- International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
- Irrigation Association
- National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association
International mutual cooperation agreements
- Australian Drilling Industry Association
- Groundwater Association of Botswana
- Brazilian Ground Water Association (Associacao Brasileira de Aguas Subterraneas)
- Canadian Ground Water Association
- Finnish Well Drillers Association (Finland)
- National Hydrogeology and Water Well Association of Italy (Associazione Nationale Idrogeologia Pozzi Acqua)
- Japanese Association of Groundwater Hydrology
- Korea Ground Water Association
- Mexican Hydrogeology Association (Asociacion Geohidrologica Mexicana)
- New Zealand Drillers Federation
- Borehole Water Association of Southern Africa
- Industrial Society of Well Drilling in Taiwan Area
- Venezuelan Association of the Ground Water Industry (Asociacion Venezolana de la Industria de las Aguas Subterraneas)
- United Nations — NGWA has:
- A cooperation agreement with the International Hydrological Programme of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
- An agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme
- Recognition by the United Nations Department of Public Information as a nongovernment organization
Memberships
NGWA is a member of or an associate member of:
- Advisory Committee on Water Information
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Geologic Institute
- Geological Society of America
- Global Water Partnership
- Groundwater Foundation
- International Union of Geological Sciences
- Source Water Collaborative
- Water Associations Worldwide
- Water Footprint Network
- WaterSense (U.S. EPA program)
- Water Systems Council
- World Water Council
In the past several years, NGWA has cooperated with more than 200 other organizations worldwide. NGWA serves as secretary of the Ground Water Subcommittee to the federal Advisory Committee on Water Information.
Foundation
The National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation (501(c)(3) (established 1994):
- Funded the public informational study, "Trends in the U.S. Marketplace for Individually Owned Private Wells"
- Conducts annual Darcy Distinguished Lecture Series in Hydrogeology at universities and colleges around the world (since 1986)
- Conducts annual McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology (since 2000)
- Maintains the Virtual Museum of Ground Water (since 2002)
- Awards undergraduate scholarships (since 1975)
- Awards research grants (since 2006)
- Awards humanitarian assistance grants for potable groundwater supply in the developing world (since 2005).
For-profit subsidiary
The National Ground Water Insurance Agency, an Ohio-licensed insurance agency operates programs of benefit to the groundwater industry and its professions
Political action committee
NGWA-PAC (established in 1998) limits support only to candidates for election or reelection to the U.S. Congress
NGWA consolidated budget
$6.5 million
Annual financial report (PDF)
Public information/IRS Form 990
NGWA (PDF)
NGWREF (PDF)
Telecommunications services
- Phone 614 898.7791, toll-free within the United States 800 551.7379
- Fax 614 898.7786
- E-mail ngwa@ngwa.org
Web services
Internet sites:
In addition, the Association offers various e-list discussion groups for member interest groups.
Certifications
- Voluntary certification programs in well construction and pump installation for contractors—Certified Well Driller (CWD), Certified Pump Installer (CPI), Certified Well Driller and Pump Installer (CWD/PI), and Master Ground Water Contractor (MGWC), the latter of which may be earned only after successfully passing all other contractor certification examinations
- Voluntary designation program in groundwater, systems sales for manufacturers and suppliers—Certified Sales Professional (CSP)
Committees
Committees for NGWA include, among others:
- Convention
- Finance and Budget
- Government Affairs
- Membership
- Policy and Code of Regulations
- Professional Development
- Public Awareness
- Publishing and Information Products
Convention and international trade expo
- 2009 — New Orleans, Louisiana (December 10-13)
- 2010 — Las Vegas, Nevada (December 7-10)
- 2011 — Memphis, Tennessee (December 6-9)
- 2012 — Las Vegas, Nevada (December 4-7 [tentative])
Information services
- A continually updated online database that currently contains more than 17,000 groundwater literature citations from NGWA's publications and conference proceedings
- A database of standards, guidelines, criteria, practices, and procedures
- Educators resource section on the Web site that provides a listing of groundwater resource materials as well as lesson plans
- An online bookstore that provides publications, videos, and other materials related to groundwater science and well technology
- NGWA also maintains www.wellowner.org, a free public information service for people using or contemplating the use of individual household wells
Programs
- NGWA is the industry leader in continuing professional education, offering conferences, short courses, and workshops throughout the world including
- Theis Hydrogeology Conference
- Annual Ground Water Summit
- Annual NGWA Ground Water Expo
- Special topic conferences, such as petroleum hydrocarbons
- Regional hydrogeological conferences
- Regional trade expositions management
- Approximately 50 educational short course events annually
- Federal government affairs advocacy effort
- Annual Ground Water Industry Legislative Conference/NGWA Fly-in
- Offers large selection of books and other educational materials
- Conducts annual trade shows
- Provides discounts on various products and services important to the membership, including commercial property and casualty insurance, contractors pollution liability insurance, and environmental errors and omissions insurance
- Sponsors Ground Water Awareness Week each March (recent cosponsors of note include USGS, U.S. EPA, CDC, Automotive Oil Change Association, and Tractor Supply Co.)
Publications
- Three award-winning publications expertly cover the groundwater industry:
- Ground Water® — bimonthly academic journal (accepts educational, display, employment, and professional card advertising)
- Ground Water Monitoring & Remediation® — quarterly technical journal (accepts display and professional card advertising)
- Water Well Journal® — monthly trade journal (accepts display and classified advertising)
- NGWA newsletters include:
- AGWSE Newszine (scientists and engineers)
- Well Log (contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers)
Scholarships
National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation's Len Assante Scholarship Fund — number granted varies, as do amounts
Speakers bureau
- Directors and staff are available to speak on a variety of groundwater industry topics, as well as association management topics
- The Association maintains a database of industry experts and presentations that they have made around the nation
External funding
By contract, the Association has recently provided services to or with the support of:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. EPA
- USGS
- U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Red Deer Community College, Alberta
- University of Memphis Ground Water Institute
- The Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin
Honors
- Associations Advance America Award — Well Disinfection Guide for Tsunami Relief — American Society of Association Executives
- Associations Advance America Award — Tote a Toy for a Kid Campaign, National Ground Water Research and Educational Foundation — American Society of Association Executives
- Associations Advance America Award — Ground Water Awareness Week — American Society of Association Executives
- Achievement Award Technology — Drilling Cost Calculator — Ohio Society of Association Executives
Print a PDF version of this NGWA fact sheet.