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Sandia Technology logo A quarterly research and development magazine

Summer 2007
Volume 9, No. 2

SANDIA TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

riverbed






INSIGHTS: When water disputes boil over

By Hal Cardwell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources

hal cardwell
Hal Cardwell leads a national interagency program on collaborative modeling for water conflict resolution. He has nearly two decades of experience in government and nongovernmental organizations, both in the U.S. and overseas, leading and supporting projects associated with integrated water resources management, environmental impact and sustainability, climate change, transboundary issues, public policy, strategic planning, and public involvement. He holds a Ph.D. in water resources systems from Johns Hopkins University and is an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Persistent conflict among competing interests and needs is increasingly common in water resources management. Too frequently, conflicts bubble outside the control of water managers, as individuals illegally open irrigation gates, groups organize mass demonstrations to reject privatization of water services, and states sue each other over water withdrawals.

These conflicts occur in arid regions such as New Mexico (think silvery minnow and U.S.–Mexico relations around the Rio Grande), and humid ones such as Virginia (think trans-basin diversion for Virginia Beach’s water supply, or the ongoing battle over King William reservoir). They occur in highly developed economies like ours, and in countries such as Bolivia where the median income is well below our poverty line.

By its very nature, solving water problems requires technical information to identify and evaluate solutions. But too often the information is not presented well, decision makers or other stakeholders don’t understand the information that is presented, or important players don’t trust the technical analysis. This means that the decision on how to use this public resource is made without a full understanding of the choices.

Thankfully, water managers in the U.S. and around the world are becoming increasingly aware not only of the need to do solid technical analyses, but also of the need to engage a broad range of stakeholders and decision makers to collaboratively identify and judge potential solutions.

This new way of doing business is driving demand for new tools, or combinations of tools, that merge multi-stakeholder public decision processes with computer tools. Water resource practitioners need to work with modelers to modify existing technical tools to make them transparent and relevant. They need to work with facilitators and mediators to craft ideas about how these technical tools can support greater public involvement.