Water Policy 7 (2005) 269-278

What water managers need to know about public participation: one US practitioner's perspective

James L. Creighton

Creighton & Creighton, Inc., Los Gatos, CA, USA, Tel: +1 408 354 8001, Fax: +1 408 354 8012, Email: jim@publicparticipation.com

Increasingly, public participation is a precondition for water management decision making. In the USA, water management agencies have been utilizing public participation since the early 1970s, with varying degrees of success and commitment to the process. Some of the US experience may not be transferable to other countries or other cultures. But the author describes basic lessons he believes are fundamental to effective public participation in virtually all countries and situations.

Full article (PDF Format)