A guidebook about groundwater management, designated for local authorities and water utilities to help in decision making and planning when it comes to this important ressource. 

Groundwater beneath cities is important. Water utilities and private abstractors use is it as a secure source of water-supply, and municipal authorities have to cope with it when using underground space for buildings, facilities and transportation infrastructure. However, these agencies often pay little attention to groundwater once their wells are installed or subsurface construction is completed. This Guidebook aims to highlight what water utilities and municipal governments can do to improve groundwater assessment, management and monitoring to avoid many ‘nasty surprises’. Groundwater, especially from deeper aquifers, is a critical resource for enhancing urban watersupply security under climate change stress. But to achieve its use sustainably will require effective promotion of an appropriate level of adaptive resource management and protection, according to local circumstances. Moreover, groundwater conditions at shallower depths are an essential issue when it comes to sound sanitation planning.