Meeting Convened on Integrated Water Resources Management
On June 20th, a meeting was hosted in Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Water Alliance to discuss various approaches to integrated water resources management – called “One Water Management” (OWM) by the Alliance. While the term means different things to different people, most agree that it refers to a thoughtful, holistic approach that tries take all of relevant water resource management considerations (quality, quantity, energy, economics, social benefits, etc.) into account at the same time – and which employs tools and approaches to make that possible. About 50 participants (including ASDWA staff) offered local, state, and federal perspectives on this subject. The purpose of the meeting was to:
- Inventory steps currently being taken by various stakeholders toward OWM;
- Identify obstacles and strategies to overcome them;
- Determine suitable options for effective mechanisms of information exchange amongst the participants in this effort; and
- To inform and be informed by on-going research in this area (particularly, by Water Reuse Research Foundation, the Water Environment Research Foundation, and the Water Research Foundation).
Please find attached a summary of that meeting as well as the perspectives (prepared in advance) of the various participating organizations. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Water Alliance will be developing an action plan and next steps for building upon the most recent discussions.
