Announcement – New Chair Board of Directors: Eileen Poeter
As 2026 begins, we look forward to another productive year at the Groundwater Project. This year brings a few operational changes to the Groundwater Project. We are pleased to welcome Eileen Poeter to her new role as the Chair of our Board of Directors. We thank John Cherry for his service in this position since inception of the project in 2019 and look forward to continuing our work with him as the project founder and a board member.
Dr. Poeter has been a member of the Groundwater Project Board of Directors since its inception. She brings unparalleled dedication to the project, being responsible for the final review and publication of every Groundwater-Project book. With a keen eye for detail and the ability to see the topic from a learner’s perspective, she brings invaluable insights to all published books as the scientific editor and producer. Many authors express their gratitude when she identifies and revises items that need scientific modification as well as improving their textural and graphical presentation to improve understanding for learners. Dr. Poeter initiated the Groundwater Project’s self-learning module program (coding some of them herself), manages the Board of Directors, and Coordinates with the Director of Operations. She was the lead author on the first Groundwater Project publication: Groundwater in Our Water Cycle which explores the relationship between groundwater reservoirs around the world and the hydrologic cycle, as well as an author of the books Hydrogeologic Properties of Earth Materials and Principles of Groundwater Flow, Graphical Construction of Groundwater Flow Nets, and An Introduction to Hydraulic Testing in Hydrogeology: Basic Pumping, Slug, and Packer Methods. These books provide deep insights into the function, principles, and management of groundwater.
Dr. Poeter has a wide variety of work experiences, including running a geophysical logging operation, working as a hydrogeological engineer for Golder Associates (now part of WSP), starting her own hydrogeological consulting company in 1984 while working as a professor at Washington State University, and finally as a professor at the Colorado School of Mines in 1987, where she was Director of the International (now Integrated) Groundwater Modeling Center and is now Emeritus. With over 40 years of experience, she has consulted for and worked with many sectors of the environmental industry including attorneys, engineering companies, government agencies, and research labs, as well as citizen groups. Dr. Poeter’s work mainly focuses on groundwater modeling projects including: aquifer storage and recovery; slurry wall performance; drainage of proposed nuclear power plant facilities; regional groundwater management; large-scale regional pumping; dam seepage; contaminant migration; impacts of dewatering; and stream-aquifer interaction.