Public Participation and the Advisory Committee Process A Collaborative Partnership For Water Resources Toni M. Johnson, Chief Water Information Coordination Program

Dialog on Public Participation ●To achieve consensus or concurrence among individuals or organizations with differing interests -- Particularly if affecting public policy -- ●Important to use sound principles ! ●Principles of Public Participation are being used in many countries to develop national and global policies

Dialog on Public Participation ●In dealing with environmental issues  Benefit to combining citizens’ views which provide economic & social issues with Scientific and technical expertise ●Danish Model uses Citizens’ Panels or Consensus Conference  Reflects a better Balance of Powers among governments, industry, and the public

Dialog on Public Participation ●Use the combined input of  Science, Technology, and Policy  With a cross-section of representatives ● Results in more Realistic Outcomes  Where technical expertise alone may result in an over-simplified solution not address community resource needs

Benefits of an Open Participatory Process ●Produce Policy Decisions that promote public interests – the needs of many customers ●Decentralize decision power closer to user community – at the watershed or aquifer level ●Recommend collaborative solutions – to problems of access and comparability

Benefits of an Open Participatory Process ●Assist data users to  access and understand data & information  collected by multiple sources -- governments as well as citizens – including: members of non-profit water associations who educate their membership private industries that use or impact waters volunteers who monitor local waters

Federal Advisory Committee Act ●In 1972, the United States Congress enacted a Public Law -- ●The Federal Advisory Committee Act ●To ensure that advice given to Federal agencies by committees  be objective – balanced membership  be accessible to the public

Advisory Committee on Water Information - ACWI ●Water information users advise Federal Government  on the effectiveness of Federal water programs  to meet the nation’s water information needs ●Member organizations foster communication  with state & local govt.  with private sector

Advisory Goals & Objectives Improve access, sharing, and understanding of water data and information across the U.S. ●Improve Coordination among Federal water agencies ●Share Information with non-Federal entities:  Tribal, State and Interstate  Regional and Local  Universities and Educational ●Increase Collaboration with non-government organizations & the private sector ●Develop public-private partnerships

Advisory Committee Water Partners Maximum of 35 members: ●7 Federal Water Agencies ●10 State/County Water Associations ●1 University Consortium ●12 Non-Profit Water Associations ●5 Private Sector Associations

National Water Quality Monitoring Council National Liaison Committee for Water Quality Subcommittee on Hydrology Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data Advisory Committee Sub-Groups Methods and Data Comparability Board Subcommittee on Sedimentation Work Groups Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable Work Groups New Subcommittee on Ground Water Work Groups

National Water Quality Monitoring Council ●Provides a national forum for coordination of  consistent & defensible  methods & strategies ●To improve water quality  monitoring,  assessment.,  reporting ●Using a Framework for Monitoring Framework

Cooperative Research & Development Agreements ●Creates a formal partnership --  for the use &/or marketing of new technologies & knowledge transfer  optimizes scarce resources  improves Federal relationships with public and private sectors  transfer occurs in both directions

Creates Products ●National Environmental Methods Index  Select and compare methods  ●Water Quality Data Elements  Metadata needed for data comparability  Both Surface and Ground Water Quality  Published Guidelines for States

●International Participation  Hosted 8 countries in 2006  Short course on Assessing Ground Water Vulnerability ●Join us on the East Coast May 18-22, 2008 !

National Monitoring Network ●Develop a Network that  coordinates & expands existing efforts,  includes coverage in coastal waters upland watersheds ●Links to the Integrated Ocean Observing System

●Nine Resource compartments ●A Continuum of Observations ● Estuaries ● Nearshore ● Offshore and EEZ ● Great Lakes ● Coastal Beaches ● Wetlands With Flow and Flux from: ● Rivers ● Atmosphere ● Groundwater Structure of the Design ● Linked data network ● Data made accessible ● Quality assurance/quality control ● Assessment of the water quality & health of coastal ecosystems

80 Participants in the Network Design 40% Fed, 30% State+, 23% Academic, 7% Industry

Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable ●A forum to share information and perspectives ●To promote better decision making ●On more sustainable development ●Of our Nation's water resources

Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable ●Open Roundtables held in various regions ●Develop Indicators and Criteria for Sustainability ●Include Private Industry ●Address both Quantity and Quality ●Water and Energy Interface

Subcommittee on Ground Water ●To implement a ground-water Monitoring Frame-work that:  is Nationwide & long-term  includes quantity & quality ●To aid in planning, management & development of ground-water supplies to:  meet current and future water needs &  ecosystem requirements

Subcommittee on Ground Water Steering Committee Members ●Federal: U.S. Geological Survey ●State: Texas Dept. Environmental Quality ●Private Sector: Amer. Society of Civil Engineers ●Non-Profits for GW Professionals:  Well Drilling: National Ground Water Assoc.  Underground Injection: Ground Water Protection Council  Waste Water: Water Environment Federation

Subcommittee on Ground Water Ground Water Work Groups Data Standards and Data Management Monitoring Inventory Field Practices National Monitoring Design

Goals of Public Participation Improve access, sharing, understanding of water data and information ●Use known principles of Public Participation  ●Share Information openly among governments ●Use an Advisory Committee process to  bring multiple stakeholders to the table ●Increase Collaboration with non-government organizations  Develop public-private partnerships ●Create better policy by combining  Science and Technical Knowledge  Citizen perspectives on their watersheds and aquifers

Let’s Make Things Better by… Water Information Coordination Program Toni M. Johnson