About the speaker

Patrick Lachassagne is Doctor in Quantitative Hydrology and Hydrogeology from the Paris School of Mines (1989) and graduated with a Professorial Level (HDR) from the Montpellier 2 University (2008).

He is currently Director of the “HydroSciences Montpellier” research institute (hydrosciences.org) that gathers about 180 researchers who address water-related challenges, notably in tropical and Mediterranean areas, under the climate change and human activities pressures.

Patrick Lachassagne was previously, for 3 years, “Water Resources Science and Expertise Team Leader” for Danone Waters. He was in charge of improving the knowledge about the structure and hydrogeological functioning of groundwaters bottled worldwide by Danone, of developing the expertise of, and training the Danone Waters “Water Resource Managers”, and on scientifically valorizing their research with them. Patrick Lachassagne was previously, for 9 years, head of “Environment and Water Resources” for the French Natural Mineral Water springs of the Danone Company in France (Evian, Volvic, Badoit and La Salvetat). He was in charge of improving the knowledge about the structure and hydrogeological functioning, managing these Natural Mineral Water Resources, and defining and implementing Protection Policies.

He is the author of several peer reviewed scientific papers in the field of hydrogeology, dealing with complex aquifers (Hard Rock, volcanic, thermal and mineral aquifers; https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patrick_Lachassagne/). Patrick regularly delivers lectures and training courses for various French universities.

He is President of the French Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists.

About the talk

Among the water resources on Earth, groundwater is a resource hidden in the rocks of the Earth’s crust. For various reasons, notably the fact that this water is not directly visible, but also as a consequence of education and longstanding traditions, the properties and physical laws governing groundwater are not well known outside the circle of hydrogeologists, the scientists specialists of the survey, management and protection of groundwater resources.

Following the presentation by Gh. de Marsily, which is dealing with the societal issue of the fulfillment of water needs for mankind and the ecosystems in the XXIst Century, P. Lachassagne focuses on groundwater resources. He addresses several aspects of groundwater. This will notably be illustrated by examples taken from the Evian natural mineral water, that is groundwater, and the way it is managed and protected.