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Groundwater resources sustain drinking water supplies for billions of people, are critical to climate- and drought-resilient global food production and support a wide range of ecological services in groundwater-dependent streams and ecosystems (GDSEs).  Pollution and overuse of groundwater resources, dwindling surface water supplies and climate change pose major threats to the sustainability of groundwater resources. While a global challenge, management of groundwater resources remains challenging. It often occurs at the local to regional scale, informed by sometimes conflicting national or continental scale water resources and land use policies and initiatives. Monitoring, modeling and assessment of groundwater and of integrated groundwater and surface water systems are instrumental to successful and resilient, sustainable groundwater management including that of groundwater dependent surface water resources and ecosystems. Equally important are the engagement and training of and communication with the diversity of stakeholders in local and regional groundwater basins.  This session provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, economists, engineers, water managers, and policy- and decision-makers to share promising tools to tackle challenges across the transdisciplinary efforts for effective governance of groundwater and integrated water resources. Contributions highlight advances in monitoring, modeling, and assessment techniques, advancements in promising management and regulatory practices, and provide examples of successful tools to engage and communicate with and across the diversity of stakeholders in the local to regional groundwater and GDSE arena  -  agricultural, urban, industrial, domestic and other water users, polluters, land use permitting agencies, water quality control agencies, water supply regulatory agencies, water management agencies, environmental NGOs, and other policy- and decision-makers.