LAUSR

Water is the source of life on our planet. Freshwater is an essential resource for survival of man. Additionally, water is an extraordinary solvent that dissolves more substances than any other liquid in nature. For this reason, groundwaters through interaction with rocks in the underground environment gradually acquire unique physico-chemical characteristics, mineral content, and temperature: mineral and thermal waters are formed. These waters—depending on the specific chemical features, temperature and place and form of occurrence at the surface—have been used by people for drinking, healing, bathing, therapy or religious rites for thousands of years. That is why mineral and thermal waters have their special place in the development of societies, nations, countries and civilizations. Mineral and thermal waters from the hydrogeological point of view are groundwaters. Groundwater constitutes only about 1.7% of the world’s total water, which accounts for a volume of around 23.4 × 106 km3. More than 50% of that volume constitutes groundwater which occurs in strata below 1 km depth where water is mostly saline and hot. The uniqueness of the use of mineral and thermal waters from the beginning to today is characterized by a firmly established belief in the curative powers of mineral and thermal water springs in the countries in which they occur. Nowadays, this is corroborated by a growing number of balneological healing centers, health resorts, and spas, which are well established in the public healthcare system in many countries of the world. Use of mineral and thermal waters evolved over time. Nowadays, utilization of such water falls into three main areas which constitute important sectors of the economy, namely: (1) balneology—relates to the most traditional use of mineral and thermal water, to balneotherapy, health and wellness industry, warm baths for healing purposes with natural mineral and thermal waters of different chemical composition or viscosity (pure liquid water or mud), (2) water bottling industry—relates to specially distinguished and regulated water-food market, to consumption of natural mineral waters, spring waters, table waters, etc., packed and sold for consumers, and (3) geothermics—geothermal energy sector connected with exploration and utilization of geothermal heat carried by thermal waters for direct use and electrical power generation. When the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) was established in 1968 in Prague (the capital of Czechoslovakia in that time) the Commission of Mineral and Thermal Waters (CMTW) was also formed as one of the first working groups of IAH. This fact once more indicates the importance of mineral and thermal waters in hydrogeological research and the groundwater industry. To date, 50 years have passed and the commission is still working to organize annual meetings for its members and hydrogeologists, engineers, scientists, and stakeholders who are involved in the field of mineral and thermal water. Meetings of the CMTW always are directed towards fulfilling three main objectives: (1) exchange of professional knowledge among participants, (2) familiarization with mineral and thermal water properties, occurrence and utilization in the country where the meeting is organized, (3) dissemination and publication of new achievements and research results in the field This article is a part of the Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “Mineral and Thermal Waters” guest edited by Drs. Adam Porowski, Nina Rman and Istvan Forizs, with James LaMoreaux as the Editor-in-Chief.