Groundwater Historical People

Groundwater Midterm

Abū Bakr al-Karajī 953-1029

Persian engineer and polymath with pioneering insights into water science. Described concepts of infiltration, storage and natural movement of water underground.

Henri Philibert Gaspard Darcy 1803-1858

Determined experimentally the law that governs the flow of water through saturated soil in 1856.

Oscar Edward Meinzer 1876-1948

American hydrogeologist, considered the “father of modern groundwater hydrology” Our knowledge and understanding of how groundwater is stored in aquifers dates back to Meinzer in the 1920’s.

Norah Dowel Stearns 1891-1954

Earliest-known woman to contribute to hydrogeology. Worked with Meinzer in the Groundwater Division and coauthored papers with him.

Charles Vernon Theis 1900-1987

Developed the first analytical solution for transient well flow, enabling hydrogeologists to estimate aquifer properties from pumping tests.

Marion King Hubbert 1903-1989

An american geologist and geophysicist. Applied fluid mechanics to groundwater problems.

Robert Farvolden 1928-1995

First Canadian PhD in hydrogeology. Trained the first generation of Canadian hydrogeologists.

József Tóth 1929-2022

Developed the Groundwater Flow System Concept in 1963, showing local, intermediate and regional flow regimes.

Derek C. Ford and John Cherry

DC Ford pioneer of karst hydrogeology, studied caves, sinkholes, and limestone aquifers. John Cherry contaminant hydrogeology pioneer in Canada, studied pollutant movement through groundwater and aquifer remediation.

Ken W F Howard

Leader in urban hydrogeology, aquifer protection, contaminant studies and groundwater modelling. Ontario Ministry of the Environment during the Walkerton water contamination inquiry.

Alfonso Rivera

Chair of IAH Transboundary Aquifers Commission. Former Chief Hydrogeologist of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC)

Bernard Palissy 1580

Proposed the theory of the hydrologic cycle