Jerry Sehlke, Past-President AWRA
The United States is a country rich in natural resources which provide the basis for our nation’s health, security and prosperity. Water is one of our most critical and economically significant natural resources but it is one of the few resources for which we do not have a national policy, plan, or vision. While we have national energy, forest, agriculture and land management policies and plans little has been done to develop a national water vision.
Historically, we have developed energy and land use plans addressing resources that comprise a mix of private, state and federal ownership and jurisdictional issues. However, past attempts to develop regional and/or national water policies and plans were defeated by disputes over state versus federal primacy. This begs the question: if water is one of our most precious resources and many believe that that there is little coordination and focus in water resources management, shouldn’t we at least develop a national vision of how best to use, protect, and manage our water resources?
In the U.S., water-resources related roles, responsibilities and authorities are shared or divided between local, state, tribal and federal governments and the private sector. The federal government has more than 20 agencies responsible for understanding and managing water resources. Each state and many tribes have one or more agencies responsible for managing water resources within their areas of jurisdiction. And hundreds, if not thousands of private-sector water companies and organizations manage water resources within the U.S.
Clearly federal, state and tribal governments each have specific roles, responsibilities and authorities for managing water resources under their jurisdiction and, clearly, each entity must fulfill its jurisdiction-specific role, responsibilities and authorities. However, can/should water resources programs be managed independently from one another or can they be managed more efficiency and effectively for all parties concerned if we could collectively develop an overarching national water vision that promotes a better understanding and better coordination and cooperation among federal, state and tribal governments, and among the various states? Can we develop a “national” (a joint federal, state and tribal) water vision?
What are the arguments for and against a national water vision? One argument is that a national water vision is necessary to develop our water resources in a systematic, efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. A counter-argument is that water resources are the purview of the states and no national water vision or policy is needed Another argument promotes a hybrid approach, e.g., a national vision relative to federal interests and independent visions or plans for each state, territory and tribe relative to the resources within its domain.
The American Water Resources Association has been involved in these and similar discussions for more than a decade through its publications, conferences and facilitation of four National Water Policy Dialogues (see http://www.awra.org/meetings/conference_series/policy_dialogue.html). These dialogues provided a means to hold open, transparent discussions on national water resources issues. Discussions and assessments focused not only on promoting cooperation and coordination among federal, state and tribal agencies, but also on whether the US should develop a national water vision, policy or plan. Other professional water resources associations (e.g., AWWA and ICWP) and federal agencies (e.g., the Corps’ National Collaborative Water Resources Conference) have also engaged in water policy related discussions and assessments.
AWRA and our sister national professional water resources associations are now combining our efforts to facilitate this most important discussion which gets to the very core of future water resources management in the U.S. That is: should there be a national water resources vision and, if so, what should that vision be? We seek the broadest possible involvement from the water resources community and others who are interested in and/or affected by water resources management decisions in the US. We have no preconceived notions as to what the final answer will or should be; we simply believe that it is in the best interest of the US water community and the nation as a whole to have this conversation. What we ask is that everyone to partake honestly, openly, fully and with respect for the opinions of others.
In keeping with the tradition of the National Water Policy Dialogues, the results of this discussion, whether a consensus is developed or if we just decide to “agree to disagree,” will be summarized, made available on the website for public access, and transmitted to the President and Congress for their edification and consideration.
We hope that you will participate in this discussion and invite your friends and colleagues to do so as well.