In June 1995 a report on the Strategic Study of Groundwater Issues and Research Needs in the UK was published. The Study arose from growing concerns about the limited scope and fragmentation of groundwater research, due in part to the institutional restructuring of the water sector that had occurred over the preceding few years and to the tightening of R&D budgets. The study identified scientific issues in groundwater exploitation and management in the UK and defined a common groundwater research agenda. The UK Groundwater Forum was set up during the Strategic Study as a means to consult stakeholders.

The Forum carried on after the publication of the Strategic Study with the aim of promoting a coordinated approach to groundwater research and providing a focus for the identification and prioritisation of research issues. It also aimed to provide a non-partisan, unified voice for groundwater in the UK and an arena in which to discuss research and information needs. However, following a stakeholder meeting in June 2003, it was decided that the Forum would be more effective if it limited its focus to raising the awareness of groundwater, something for which it was felt there is a strong need but for which no organisation in the UK has a remit. This web site is the primary tool for achieving this aim.