Fractured rock aquifers are increasingly being relied upon to serve as private and public water supplies due to population growth and water quality issues. A significant portion of the United States is underlain by fractured rock systems that remain poorly understood due to the complexity of characterizing these heterogeneous and strongly anisotropic systems. In this session we will focus on a variety of topics concerning the hydrogeology of fractured rock aquifers including: recharge mechanisms, fractured bedrock-surface water interactions, fractured rock aquifers and climate change, and innovative characterization techniques for fractured bedrock systems.