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 & ObjectivesImprove 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 LocalUniversities and Educational

● Increase Collaboration with non-government organizations & the private sector

● Develop public-private partnerships

National Water Quality

MonitoringCouncil

National Liaison Committee

for Water Quality

Subcommitteeon Hydrology

Subcommitteeon Spatial Water

Data

Advisory Committee Sub-Groups

Methods and DataComparability Board

Subcommittee on

Sedimentation

Work Groups

Sustainable WaterResources Roundtable

Work Groups

Work Groups

Work Groups

NewSubcommittee

on Ground Water

Work Groups

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 www.nemi.gov

● 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 http://acwi.gov/monitoring/conference/2006/

● Join us on the East Coast

May 18-22, 2008 !

Sustainable WaterResources Roundtable

● A forum to share information and perspectives

● To promote better decision making

● On more sustainable development

● Of our Nation's water resources

Sustainable WaterResources 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 WaterWork Groups

Data Standards andData Management

Monitoring Inventory

Field Practices

National Monitoring Design

http://acwi.gov/sogw/index.html

Goals of Public ParticipationImprove access, sharing, understanding of water

data and information

● Use known principles of Public Participation http://iap2.org

● 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

tjohnson@usgs.gov

703-648-6810

http://water.usgs.gov/wicp