Local Management of Water Local Management of Water Catchments: Drawing on Catchments: Drawing on International ExperienceInternational Experience

Laurence Smith, Imperial College LondonKevin Hiscock, University of East Anglia

Research on Rural Resource Management and the Rural Economy: Addressing the Local Dimension

Royal Society of Edinburgh, Wednesday 16th May 2007.

Work to dateWork to date“Building Alliances for a RELU Capacity Building Programme: Exploiting Options from the Eastern US and Nearby European Continent”

• capacity building award, July 2004 to August 2005

• development of a ‘network” of water professionals in the UK, US and nearby Europe

• built capacity for evaluation of transferable catchment management measures to protect water quality, from Eastern US and nearby Europe

• integrated understanding of technical, economic, social and institutional and governance aspects (including participation of catchment communities)

• identification of a research agenda for evaluation under a RELU research project.

Catchment management: a Catchment management: a ‘wicked problem’?‘wicked problem’?

In natural resource management a ‘wicked problem’ is characterised by:

• contradictory, complex problems

• clusters of interrelated problems

• high levels of uncertainty

• diverse competing values and interests

• many production and consumption externalities

• requirement for trade-offs and multiple decision criteria

• a solution for one group generates problems for another

• intractable for any single organisation.

The challenges of diffuse water The challenges of diffuse water pollution pollution

• farming is the main source, but also produces food, sustains rural communities and creates landscape attributes

• pollution sources are numerous, dispersed and sometimes uncertain, thus the costs of regulation are high

• the ‘polluter pays’, the ‘consumer pays’, or costs are shared?

• solutions require a ‘tailored’ mix of regulation, policies, voluntary action and direct interventions.

Alternative models for water Alternative models for water governance governance

The aim is to protect and manage water resources in a catchment in which people can live, work and play.

1. Centralised and monocentric

2. Local autonomy

3. Decentralised, polycentric and multi-stakeholder

An example: The New York City An example: The New York City Watershed and the Delaware County Watershed and the Delaware County

Action Plan (DCAP)Action Plan (DCAP) (watershed = catchment)(watershed = catchment)

Key features:

• multi-level, multi-stakeholder, adaptive approach, with local leadership and strong legitimacy and accountability

• initiated locally in response to threat of regulation and loss of local autonomy

• a strong scientific base, effective use of monitoring and modelling, and initial focus on best farm management practices

• wider catchment measures beyond farms.

New YorkNew YorkCity City

Water Water Supply Supply SystemSystem

Delaware County Action PlanDelaware County Action Plan

• Cannonsville Cannonsville Reservoir Basin Reservoir Basin – agricultural – agricultural basinbasin

• New York City New York City water supplywater supply

• P ‘restriction’ P ‘restriction’ impedes impedes economic economic growth of growth of countycounty

The Cannonsville The Cannonsville ReservoirReservoir

3 Barriers: Redundancy3 Barriers: Redundancy

SourceSource

LandscapeLandscape

Stream Stream CorridorCorridor

Precision FeedPrecision FeedManagementManagement

DCAP ComponentDCAP Component

Stream Corridor Stream Corridor ManagementManagement

On-Site Septic On-Site Septic SystemsSystems

HighwayHighwayRunoffRunoff

MonitoringMonitoringStationsStations

#S

#S

#S

#S

#S#S

#S#S

#S

#S

$T

$T

Cannonsville Reservoir

#

01422738

#

01422500

#

01422389

#

01424108

#

0142400103

#

01422747

#

01423000

#

01421900

#

01421614

#

Town Brook

#

Beerston

#

01421618

27

38

29

1

6

43

4

11

19

3

9

26

728

41

10

2

8

18

305

16

32

40

24

33

37

2012

13

23

21

34

2214

39

31

15

17

363542

25

WatershedStreams

#S USGS Gauging Stations$T DEC Continuous WQ Stations

10 0 10 20 Kilometers

N

EW

S

R Farm

Shaw Road

DCAP PartnersDCAP PartnersDCAP integrates all levels of government authority, DCAP integrates all levels of government authority,

coordinates actions at County level by agencies coordinates actions at County level by agencies and other bodies, and preserves local planning and other bodies, and preserves local planning prerogatives.prerogatives.

LocalLocal• Planning, SWCD, CCE, Eco.Dev, Farm Bureau, Planning, SWCD, CCE, Eco.Dev, Farm Bureau,

DPW, Communities, NRCS, Chamber, IDA, DPW, Communities, NRCS, Chamber, IDA, WSAWSA

RegionalRegional• CWC, DEP, WACCWC, DEP, WAC

StateState• WRI, DEC, DOH, DOS, DOT, Ag & Mkts, WRI, DEC, DOH, DOS, DOT, Ag & Mkts,

NYSSWCC, Cornell, ESFNYSSWCC, Cornell, ESF FederalFederal

• EPA, USDA, Army CorpsEPA, USDA, Army Corps

Watershed Planning and Implementation ProcessWatershed Planning and Implementation Process

US EPA , 2005

stakeholders, issues and goals, outreach

data collection & analysis, pollutant loads & sources

load reductions, management options, assess impacts

workplan, milestones, responsibilities, finance, policy

management,monitoring, outreach

evaluate, report, adapt

Watershed planning and Watershed planning and implementation is an iterative implementation is an iterative

and adaptive processand adaptive process

US EPA , 2005

Other examples can be drawn Other examples can be drawn from nearby Europe (particularly from nearby Europe (particularly from the Water4all Project), and from the Water4all Project), and

from wider international from wider international experience.experience.

Key lessons drawn to dateKey lessons drawn to date

1) Each catchment and all sources of pollution must be analysed in an integrated and holistic way. Environmental criteria must be integrated with the economic, social and cultural goals of those affected by change.

2) Land management and diffuse sources of pollution have a local basis and protection of water at source needs local instruments, participation of stakeholders and an enabling regulatory environment.

Future work:Future work:

Developing a Catchment Management Developing a Catchment Management Template for the Protection of Water Template for the Protection of Water Resources: Exploiting Experience Resources: Exploiting Experience from the UK, Eastern USA and Nearby from the UK, Eastern USA and Nearby EuropeEurope

A research project financed by the RELU programme: June 2007- May 2010

Project Principals and Project Principals and Partners:Partners:

• Laurence Smith, ICL, Wye campus• Kevin Hiscock, Andrew Jordan UEA• Alastair Bailey, Kent Business School, UKC• Independent: Hadrian Cook, Alex Inman, Jon Hillman • Westcountry Rivers Trust• Tamar Lakes Catchment Project, EA, IGER• Upper Thurne Working Group and Broads Authority• New York State Water Resources Institute, Cornell

University, NYS Depart. of Env. Conservation, Upper Susquehanna Coalition,

• ‘Water4all’ partners including water protection programmes in Aalborg, Denmark and Oldenburg, Germany.

Project ObjectivesProject Objectives

• A comparative analysis of international catchment management experience: technical procedures, policies and governance arrangements

• Investigation of how best to extend the scientific and policy achievements of water protection programmes in the US, other European countries and elsewhere to the UK

• Detailed assessment of two case study catchments: upper Tamar, SW England and Upper Thurne, Broads

• Development of a catchment management template for integration of scientific investigation with decision-making and implementation to achieve environmental, economic and social objectives.

Project structureProject structureStrand A: case study catchments, Upper Tamar, Upper Thurne

Strand B: comparative analysis of international catchment management programmes

Catchment management

template

Stakeholders, partnerships, issues, goals, outreach needs

Characterise and understand the catchment: pollutants, use of models

Finalise goals and test management scenarios with stakeholders, assess physical, economic and social impacts

Lessons for analysis, monitoring, governance and policy

Assess implementation options and possible governance arrangements

Thank you for listening, for more Thank you for listening, for more information, please contact:information, please contact:Laurence Smith

l.smith@imperial.ac.uk

Tel: 0207 5942699

Project website:http://wri.eas.cornell.edu/relu/index.php

Project blog:http://catchmentmanagement.blogspot.com/