Problems and Challenges in Water Resources Management – A Municipal Water Manager's Perspective

摘要

Access to an assured supply of fresh water is critical to sustain ourselves, ourcommunities, the economies in urban and rural areas that have grown as a result ofour development of the West and for the environment that we live in. We havedeveloped some of the largest economies and population centers in the world in thissemi-arid climate subject to climate variation, aridity and drought. Forecasts are forsubstantial population growth, sustainability and expansion of those economies andexpectations of a vital ecosystem will place even greater demands on our naturalresources across the West. At this time, we are over-subscribing the capacity of thesenatural water systems and shortages are being experienced. The water manager mustconsider a range of adaptive strategies to create an acceptable balance of solutions tomeet those multiple needs in this highly political and contentious setting.