Building resilience into water management through public engagement

Abstract

Water resources of the United States (US), most of which are associated with river basins and managed by water utilities, are influenced by multiple landowners and land uses across diverse political jurisdictions with varying stakeholder interests. Water utilities occupy a challenging domain where they are tasked with simultaneously providing affordable and safe water while maintaining environmental quality. When periodic crises occur, the water users are often poorly prepared to understand the tradeoffs and consequences of water management decisions. The increasing prevalence of water insecurity in the US and globally creates both opportunity and necessity to use public engagement with science (PES) to enhance the sustainability of water resources. We consider PES to include a range of knowledge necessary to develop a resilient and sustainable water management strategy based on ecological, environmental, and engineering principles. We suggest that global water insecurity creates a PES opportunity for the Society for Freshwater Science and similar technical and scientific organizations. We provide examples and explore PES actions that serve as a guide for engagement. Fundamental to PES in natural resources management is creating a culture of mutual learning among groups with different interests and responsibilities, in this case researchers, water managers, conservation organizations, and the public as water users. We also provide a case study of successful PES based on our experience with the Upper Flint River Working Group (UFRWG) in Georgia, USA. The UFRWG has been working to promote water sustainability for 7 y and illuminates a critically important aspect of PES: That engagement must be responsive to the diverse experiences of stakeholders (in resources, expertise, capacity, timelines, lexicon, political economy, and so on) and be planned over appropriate timeframes to ensure success in the realm of process as well as results. The UFRWG can point to improved communication between utilities, early recognition of potential water scarcity, aggressive conservation measures, changing attitudes towards land application of wastewater vs return flows of treated water, and consideration of urban green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff as evidence of success. Changes in water management that have been made by the UFRWG are a testament that PES strategies can be powerful tools in the natural resources management arena.