IMWA 2025 Field Trips

The Inter­na­tion­al Mine Water Asso­ci­ation (IMWA) is a lead­ing organ­isa­tion ded­ic­ated to the research, man­age­ment, and remedi­ation of water issues asso­ci­ated with min­ing activ­it­ies. With a glob­al net­work of experts and pro­fes­sion­als, IMWA plays a cru­cial role in address­ing the envir­on­ment­al chal­lenges posed by mine water. The asso­ci­ation’s con­fer­ences are renowned for their com­pre­hens­ive pro­grammes that blend sci­entif­ic present­a­tions, tech­nic­al work­shops, and prac­tic­al field trips, offer­ing par­ti­cipants a hol­ist­ic under­stand­ing of mine water man­age­ment.

The IMWA 2025 con­fer­ence, sched­uled to take place in the pic­tur­esque region of north-west­ern Spain and Por­tugal, prom­ises to be an enrich­ing exper­i­ence for all attendees. One of the key fea­tures of the con­fer­ence will be its diverse array of field trips, which will immerse par­ti­cipants in the region’s mine water man­age­ment prac­tices as well as its rich cul­tur­al her­it­age.

Pre-conference field trip (Oviedo/Uviéu to Braga)

The pre-con­fer­ence field trip will provide an early oppor­tun­ity for attendees to explore mine water sites and gain an under­stand­ing of the his­tor­ic­al and con­tem­por­ary prac­tices in the region. This trip is ideal for those who wish to begin their con­fer­ence exper­i­ence with a sol­id ground­ing in the loc­al con­text of mine water issues. Par­ti­cipants will vis­it sites that show­case innov­at­ive water man­age­ment strategies and remedi­ation tech­niques. Fur­ther­more, the field trip will include cul­tur­al high­lights such as a tour of San­ti­ago de Com­postela, a city renowned for its his­tor­ic cathed­ral and status as a pil­grim­age des­tin­a­tion.

Mid-Conference Field Trips (on Wednesday)

The mid-con­fer­ence field trip is sched­uled to take place dur­ing the con­fer­ence. It offers attendees a wel­come oppor­tun­ity to take a break from the aca­dem­ic ses­sions and to wit­ness first-hand the prac­tic­al chal­lenges and solu­tions in the field of mine water man­age­ment. The trip will com­prise a blend of tech­nic­al vis­its and cul­tur­al exper­i­ences, designed to provide insights into the prac­tic­al chal­lenges and solu­tions in the field. One of the key high­lights will be a vis­it to the world-fam­ous Port Wine winer­ies. The excur­sion will provide an oppor­tun­ity for par­ti­cipants to gain insights into the vit­i­cul­ture of the region and the import­ant role water man­age­ment plays in wine pro­duc­tion. In addi­tion to deep­en­ing attendees’ under­stand­ing of mine water issues, the excur­sion will allow them to appre­ci­ate the scen­ic beauty and cul­tur­al rich­ness of the area.

Post-Conference Field Trip (Braga to Iberian Pyrite Belt and back)

The post-con­fer­ence field trip will con­clude the IMWA 2025 exper­i­ence with an in-depth explor­a­tion of the Iberi­an Pyr­ite Belt, one of the most inter­est­ing min­ing regions in Europe. This trip will offer par­ti­cipants the oppor­tun­ity to study the unique geo­lo­gic­al and hydro­lo­gic­al char­ac­ter­ist­ics of the area, as well as the extens­ive envir­on­ment­al impacts of his­tor­ic­al and con­tem­por­ary min­ing activ­it­ies. The field trip will emphas­ise sus­tain­able prac­tices and remedi­ation efforts cur­rently under­way. Par­ti­cipants will emerge from the field trip with a com­pre­hens­ive under­stand­ing of the com­plex­it­ies involved in mine water man­age­ment and the innov­at­ive solu­tions being imple­men­ted to address these chal­lenges.

In sum­mary, the field trips organ­ised as part of IMWA 2025 are designed not only to edu­cate but also to inspire. By blend­ing tech­nic­al know­ledge with cul­tur­al exper­i­ences, these excur­sions provide a unique oppor­tun­ity for attendees to con­nect with the loc­al con­text, fos­ter­ing a deep­er appre­ci­ation for the chal­lenges and solu­tions in mine water man­age­ment.