Welcome to the homepage of the Salt Water Intrusion Meeting

The Salt Water Intrusion Meeting (SWIM) has been held in different European countries on a biennial basis since 1968 with an increasing number and diversity of participants. In spite of its name, SWIM is not solely restricted to seawater intrusion problems. The meetings are very successful in bringing together people who are interested in saline groundwater issues: well-known specialists, water managers and students.

The growing interest among scientists and water managers reflects the increasing relevance of managing saline groundwaters all around the world, especially in densely populated coastal areas. Problems include:

• over-exploitation of water resources, especially in arid and semi-arid areas
• increased demand due to economic development and population growth
• quality deterioration of the available surface water resources
• insufficient knowledge of the aquifer architecture and processes to design sound management programmes
• climate change and sea level rise

Philosophy of SWIM

The SWIM aims to bring together specialists, exchange ideas and discuss results on saline groundwater problems in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The meetings have always maintained their informal character with contributions from well-known scientists mixed with young people giving their first presentation. The ambiance during the meetings of the last 34 years can be characterized as based on personal contacts and good discussions. There is no SWIM association or so, with memberships and fees; SWIM is carried by persons and institutions in various countries, which have confidence in it and see the usefulness of these meetings.