Water planning in an age of change

Abstract

This review paper examines a variety of methodologies that underpin current water planning in the United States – spanning the city, state, and Federal scales – and identifies ways in which changing realities and greater interdependencies between various different critical infrastructures are driving the need for new water planning approaches and processes. Specifically, new sources of uncertainty and their implications are examined, and challenges relating to water supply, allocation, decision making, safety and security, and the information and processes of planning are delineated. In this context, the usefulness of adding scenario planning to current water planning processes is assessed, and ways in which it can be implemented effectively are described. Opportunities for One Water planning to be augmented by critical infrastructure planning and enhanced risk mitigation are also discussed. Recommendations are articulated that are relevant to states, cities, and utility agencies, in order to ensure that they are more resiliently prepared for a substantially more uncertain planning environment in the future, with particular attention to critical infrastructure for water and for other services and the interrelationships between them.