Western Water Policy Program

Overview

The Western Water Policy Program (WWPP) was formed in 2007 to provide a central home and focus to the water-related research and outreach activities of the Natural Resources Law Center (NRLC).  Western water resources policy has been a major focus of the Natural Resources Law Center (NRLC), beginning with our first water conference in 1981 (Water Resources Allocation: Laws and Emerging Issues).  In the years that followed, the NRLC has convened 20 major water conferences and produced over 100 major reports and books.  More importantly, the NRLC has repeatedly proved to be an invaluable source of insights and ideas for legal and policy innovation, serving decision-makers, activists, academics and the public throughout the American West.

Consequently, In an effort to consolidate and build upon this body of work in western water resources, and to more effectively advance our goal of promoting sustainable, equitable, and practical solutions to the pressing water problems of the U.S. intermountain West, the Western Water Policy Program was initiated.

The WWPP is predicated on the belief that few factors will have more significance in shaping the long-term future of the American West than our ability to improve how we conceptualize, structure, and implement water management.  While the primary function of the WWPP will be to highlight innovations in water policy and law, the WWPP recognizes that positive change can take many forms, including economic and administrative reforms, technological innovations, and social change -- and that one of WWPP’s roles will be to identify the most productive avenues for innovation.

To achieve the overarching goals of sustainability and equity, and to maintain a high quality of life, the water community needs a game plan that is ambitious, sophisticated, and willing to challenge conventional thinking about western water policy.

The WWPP’s focus is to . . .
(1)    Articulate and promote implementation of a comprehensive vision of improved water management in the West. 
(2)    Investigate current issues and case studies in the region, identifying key trends, and focusing on the primary stressors of population growth and climate change. 
(3)    Identify and promote specific legal and policy innovations at multiple levels of government and in multiple decision-making venues, working with and through our well-established networks of collaborators and advisors.

Publications

For an academic based entity—even one that is primarily focused on outreach and consultations—publications are a key measure of productivity and impact.  Some of the more notable WWPP efforts of the first planning period include the following [The lead author on each of these publications is either Doug Kenney (WWPP Director) or Mark Squillace (NRLC Director)]:

1. The Water-Energy Nexus in the Western United States.  2011.  Cheltenham:  Edward Elgar Publishing.
2. Water Transfers for a Changing Climate.  2011.  Report for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
3. Accounting for Water Rights in the Western United States.  2011:  In: International Water Accounting: Effective Management of a Scarce Resource.
4. Relative Costs of New Water Supply Options for Front Range Cities.  2010 and 2011.  Reports to the Colorado Water Institute and Colorado Water Conservation Board.  Phase 1 and 2.
5. Rethinking the Future of the Colorado River.  Interim Report of the Colorado River Governance Initiative.  2010.  Boulder: Natural Resources Law Center, Western Water Policy Program.  http://www.rlch.org/archive/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/CRGI-Interim-Report.pdf  
6. It's No Fun Being a Criminal: Colorado Ought to Allow River Access for All.2010.Syndicated Column for High Country News, Writers on the Range series, February 19.
7. Rethinking Vulnerability on the Colorado River.  2010.  Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 144:5-10, March.
8. The Colorado River: What Prospect for ‘A River No More’?  2009.  In:  River Basin Trajectories: Societies, Environments and Development, pp. 123-146.  Francois Molle and Philippus Wester (editors).  CAB International: Wallingford England.
9. History of River Governance in the United States.  2008.  In: Sustainability in River Basins, pp. 109-134.  Alexandra Dehnhardt and Ulrich Petschow (editors).   Munich: Oekom.
10. Residential Water Demand Management: Lessons from Aurora, Colorado.  2008.  Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 44(1): pp. 192-207, February.
11. From ‘Navigable Waters’ to ‘Constitutional Waters’: The Future of Federal Wetlands Regulation.  2007.  University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 40, p. 799 (2007).

Consultations

Ultimately, the goal of WWPP research, publications, presentations, and related outreach activities is to secure opportunities to interact with, inform and influence decision-makers and other policy-oriented organizations.  The list of agencies/organizations briefed by WWPP personnel (by invitation) is incredibly diverse, and includes (alphabetically):

1. Alliance for Water Efficiency
2. Boulder Water Resources Advisory Board
3. California Department of Water Resources
4.  Carpe Diem West
5. Catawba-Wateree River Basin Commission (North and South Carolina)
6. Colorado River Water Conservancy District;
7. Colorado River Water Users Association
8. Colorado WaterWise
9. General Institute for Water Planning (People’s Republic of China)
10.  Greater Gallatin Watershed Council (Montana);
11. Great Western Institute (Colorado)
12. Murray-Darling River Basin Commission/Authority (Australia)
13. National Academy of Sciences
14. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
15. National Center for Atmospheric Research
16. National Congress of American Indians
17. National Park Service;
18. U.S. House of Representatives:  Committee on Natural Resources; Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources; and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
19. Union of Concerned Scientists;
20. Universities Council on Water Resources
21. Western Governors’ Association;
22. Western States Water Council
23. World Conservation Union;
24. World Wildlife Fund

Invited Presentations

Doug Kenney (WWPP Director) and Mark Squillace (NRLC Director) are frequently asked to speak at workshops, conferences, and other policy meetings.  Below are provided representative presentations: : 11 in Colorado, 4 in California, 2 in Nevada, and 1 each in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina and Ohio.  Presentations in China (2) and Australia (1) are also presented. 

1. The Future of the Colorado River.  Colorado River District’s Annual Water Seminar.  Grand Junction, CO; September 15, 2011.
2. Policy and Legal Implications of Reduced Colorado River Flows.  Annual Conference of the Universities Council on Water Resources and the National Institutes of Water Resources (UCOWR/NIWR).  Boulder, CO; July 12, 2011.
3. How Does Climate Change Impact the Need for, and Direction of, Institutional Reform?  Annual Conference of the Natural Resources Law Center.  Boulder, CO; June 9, 2011. 
4. Downsizing Dependence on the Colorado River. California Water Policy Conference.  Los Angeles, CA; March 3-4, 2011.
5. Water Conservation in the Gallatin Valley: Can We Afford It?  Keynote Presentation at the annual meeting of the Greater Gallatin Watershed Council.  Bozeman, MT; January 27, 2011.
6. Rethinking the Future of the Colorado River.  Presentation to the Colorado River Water Users Association.  Las Vegas, NV; December 16, 2010.
7. Relative Costs of New Water Options on Colorado’s Front Range.  Presentation to the Colorado Water Institute Advisory Board.  Denver, CO; November 5, 2010.
8. Reinventing Governance: The Case of Western US Interstate River Basins.  The “Reinventing Governance” Conference of the Center for the Study of Conflict, Collaboration & Creative Governance; University of Colorado.  Boulder, CO; October 9, 2010. 
9. Colorado River Issues and Options: An Overview of the Colorado River Governance Initiative.  CLE Colorado Water Law Conference.  Denver, CO; May 20, 2010. 
10. Climate Change and Institutional Competence. University of Toledo Law Review Symposium. March 26, 2010.
11. Setting the Stage: Water, Energy and Climate Change.  Carpe Diem: Western Water and Climate Change Project.  San Francisco, CA; March 2, 2010.
12. Interstate Water Allocation in the United States.  Presentation to the General Institute for Water Planning (GIWP), People’s Republic of China.  Beijing, China; October 27, 2009.
13. The Last Drop:  Colorado River Drought and Climate Change.  Presentation to the NCAR Journalism Fellows.  Boulder, CO; August 19, 2009.
14. Some Lessons from Aurora’s Drought Response.  Presentation to the Boulder Water Resources Advisory Board.  Boulder, CO; June 15, 2009.
15. Residential Water Demand:  Lessons from Aurora.  Colorado WaterWise Inaugural Event.  Denver, CO: April 2-3, 2009. 
16. Voluntary Mechanisms for Coping with Scarcity and Managing Conflict.  Workshop on Drought in a Changing Climate: Sharing Management Approaches.  Australian National University.  Canberra, Australia. November 17, 2008.
17. Water Scarcity on the Colorado River.  Murray-Darling River Basin Commission.  Canberra, Australia; November 19, 2008.
18. Success Stories in Urban Water Demand Management During Drought.  Governor’s Conference on Managing Drought and Climate Risk.  Denver, CO: October 9, 2008.
19. Climate Change Adaptation and Water Rights.  Western Governors’ Association, Western States Water Council, and California Department of Water Resources: Climate Change Adaptation Policy Workshop.  Irvine, CA; September 25, 2008.
20. Statutory and Institutional Challenges to Climate Change Adaptation.  New Mexico Convening of Carpe Diem: Western Water and Climate Change.  Albuquerque, NM; May 29, 2008.
21. Interstate Water Apportionment: An Overview of Options and Examples.  Meeting of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin Commission.  Huntersville, NC; February 8, 2008. 
22. Climate and Management of the Colorado River: What Does the SSD Study Tell Us About Scenario Analysis?  Annual conference of the American Geophysical Union; San Francisco, CA; December 11, 2007.
23. Climate Change and Water Resources: Trends, Projections, and Implications for the Western USA.  64th Annual Conference of the National Congress of American Indians.  Denver, CO; November 13, 2007.
24. Collaboration and Restoration of the Colorado River Delta.  University of Nevada, Las Vegas; October 12, 2007.
25. Residential Water Demand in Aurora, Colorado: Lessons Learned and Remaining Questions.  2007 Regional Water Symposium of the Arizona Hydrological Society.  Westin La Paloma Resort, Tucson, AZ; August 31, 2007.

Hosted Meetings

The WWPP has organized and/or co-hosted several notable events since 2007, including: 

1. Navigating the Future of the Colorado River.  June 8-10, 2011.
2. US-Mexico Negotiations on Improved Colorado River Management:  An Update.  February 19, 2010.
3. Western Water Law, Policy and Management:  Ripples, Currents, and New Channels of Inquiry.  June 3-5, 2009.
4. Evolving Regional Frameworks for Ag-to-Urban Water Transfers.  December 11, 2008.
5. Securing Environmental Flows on the Colorado River in an Era of Climate Change:  Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.  March 21, 2008.

For more information about the WWPP

The WWPP is a rapidly building and evolving effort within the Natural Resources Law Center.  For updated information, please contact:

Doug Kenney, PhD
Senior Research Associate, Natural Resources Law Center, and Director of the NRLC’s Western Water Policy Program
303-492-1296, douglas.kenney@colorado.edu
Resume

Mark Squillace
Director, Natural Resources Law Center and Professor of Law
303-492-1287, mark.squillace@colorado.edu

University of Colorado Law School
Wolf Law Building  §  401 UCB
Boulder, Colorado  80309-0401
http://www.colorado.edu/law/centers/nrlc/