Finally...Teamwork

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency


The role of the water purveyor—also known as any public utility, mutual water company, county water district, or municipality that delivers drinking water to customers—involves a variety of responsibilities. Not only do water agencies control and manage supply and delivery, but they must also handle everything from stormwater and flood control to wastewater and water quality, habitat protection, and other environmental concerns. As a result, the water purveyor is the ultimate multitasker—charged with overseeing projects and solving problems while making sure that the community can depend upon clean and reliable water. In other words, the work of the water purveyor involves integrated water resources management.
Generally speaking, integrated water resources management involves the consideration of multiple water management viewpoints when considering courses of action. These voices include “management agencies with specific purposes, governmental and stakeholder groups, geographic regions, and disciplines of knowledge.” This could involve the organization of a task force or even the collaboration of different agencies all charged with finding the best solution for the issue at hand, be it river basin planning, conservation outreach, or aqueduct recharge. Because there are many competing water needs, it’s important to involving as many participants in the process as possible.
While the implementation of integrated water resources management depends upon the situation, “Total Water Management” has been coined to describe the inclusion of “integration principals” in water supply development. In 1996, the AWWA defined Total Water Management as “the exercise of stewardship of water resources for the greatest good of society and the environment,” that includes:
* Encouraging planning and management on a natural water systems basis through a dynamic process that adapts to changing conditions
* Balancing competing uses of water through efficient allocation that addresses social values, cost effectiveness, and environmental benefits and costs
* Requiring the participation of all units of government and stakeholders in decision-making through a process of coordination and conflict resolution
* Promoting water conservation, reuse, source protection, and supply development to enhance water quality and quantity
* Fostering public health, safety, and community goodwill
Following in that same vein, last week the US House of Representatives passed the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act. Essentially, the bill legislates total water management by mandating the coordination of national research and development efforts to “provide a clear path forward to ensure adequate water supplies for generations to come.”
Highlights of the bill include:
* The creation of a National Water Initiative Coordination Office for technical and administrative support, as well as public “point of contact”
* The requirement that the president establish or designate an interagency committee that will include representation from all federal agencies dealing with water so that a National Water Research and Development Initiative can be implemented in order to improve federal activities on water, including research, development, demonstration, data collection and dissemination, education, and technology transfer
* The interagency committee would be responsible for the implementation of a national water census, the development of new water technologies and techniques, the development of tools to facilitate water resource conflicts, the development of information technology systems to enhance water quality and supply, the improvement of hydrologic prediction models, an enhanced understanding related to ecosystem services, and an analyses of the energy-water nexus
In a statement, bill author and Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) says, “Coordination of federal agency activities and a stronger partnership with state, local, and tribal governments will ensure that federal programs are focused on areas of greatest concern, and that our efforts are complementary and effective.”
So what do you think? Is integrated water resource management the ultimate water efficiency practice? And if it is, will the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act pave the way for nationwide efficiency programs?