Emilio Custodio
Award of Honorary Membership of IAH to Professor Emilio Custodio was approved by the IAH General Assembly in Marrakech. As Past President of the Association, Emilio needs little introduction to IAH members. Following University in Barcelona, he started his long career in 1964 in the Water Authority of the Eastern Pyrenees and at the same time teaching at Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). From 1975 he was Professor of Groundwater Hydrology in the Department of Geo-engineering of UPC and from 1997 to 2004 Director General of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain. Since 2010 he has been an emeritus professor of UPC, and continues his highly productive scientific output.
Emilio will probably be best known and appreciated for the International Groundwater Hydrology Course at UPC which he co-founded, and the book on groundwater hydrology jointly authored with Ramón Llamas. Students fondly recall their time at UPC, and the sound start that the course and book gave them in their careers, and many former students throughout the world have remained as friends and research partners.
Emilio has been a member of IAH for many years, as president of the Spanish national group, a member of IAH Council and President of the Association from 2000 to 2004. During this time he made particular efforts to strengthen IAH’s presence in Latin America and collaboration with our sister organisation ALHSUD, and has continued to visit the region frequently and to promote IAH there ever since. Emilio was not able to be in Marrakech, but as the photo shows, Ken was able to present the award the following week when both were invited speakers at the Fifth Colombian Hydrogeological Congress in Medellin.
