Water Resources
Featured Cases:
Video Case Study: Sustainable Groundwater Management in Salinas Valley
The Challenge
Demand for water is intensifying, and in many regions water scarcity is emerging as a major challenge. The belief that access to water is a zero-sum game fuels intense disputes among those who have vested, and often divergent, interests in the management of this critical resource. These disputes—involving industry, agriculture, public agencies, water suppliers, environmentalists, disadvantaged communities, and recreational interests—often lead to damaged relationships, protracted stalemates, and litigation that can go on for years while water resources continue to diminish.
Our Approach
CBI helps parties shift from allocation conflicts to generating mutually beneficial possibilities for conserving, using, and reusing water in ways that can meet the needs of many. Our mediators, who have deep experience in water issues and the political landscape, custom-design each engagement, employing a wide range of approaches with stakeholders to:
- Advance understanding of others’ underlying interests
- Jointly define and research data essential to decision-making
- Explore options and create new solutions that integrate water systems and ensure sustainability
- Define governing structures that are appropriate for managing water
From working with stakeholders to protect Cape Cod’s vital estuaries and inland bays to helping negotiate the development and implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, we have a strong track record of advancing progress on thorny water issues.
Areas of Expertise
- Integrated water resources management
- Water quality
- Climate adaptation
- Conjunctive (surface and groundwater) management
- Environmental justice
- Watershed planning
- Ecosystem restoration
- Land use and water planning