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The need for mechanisms to facilitate a reallocation of water to meet demands from new users and to improve the environmental conditions of many rivers in semiarid regions of the world is increasing. Given past allocation policies, which have vested control of often more than 80% of water resources with irrigators, this will require a reallocation of water out of irrigation. Such reallocation can take place in many ways but is likely to cause pain for irrigators and their communities. This paper investigates the acceptance of water reallocation policies in the context of Alberta, Canada. We explore the influences of demographic and attitudes on the acceptance of water reallocation policies and investigate whether such acceptance differs between urban and rural residents. We find that urban dwellers are more likely to favour government intervention while rural dwellers are more likely to support policies that aim to protect irrigators' water rights. We also find that people, both in urban and rural areas, can be divided into three groups depending on their values and attitudes towards water and the environment: 1) pro-environment; 2) pro-economic and 3) undecided. The urban resident is more likely to belong to the pro-environmental group while rural residents are more likely to belong to the undecided group. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Many jurisdictions have begun to use environmental water allocation to set aside water for ecological needs and to balance human and environmental demands for water. The opportunity exists to draw lessons from existing innovative EWA arrangements; however it is essential to consider what makes these institutions fit in their original location before considering transfer. The aim of this research is to identify the factors that contribute to the fit of institutions for EWA in New South Wales, Australia, and to explore their transferability. To accomplish this, an analytical framework was developed and applied to a case study of the Murrumbidgee Catchment, NSW. This research revealed that the key factors influencing fit include compatibility with existing institutional structure, compatibility with local economic context, and public support. These institutions would be most transferable somewhere with these conditions in place. Implications for the fields of institutional transfer and water management are discussed.

Protecting source water using watershed management strategies provides communities with an opportunity to reduce the threat of contaminated drinking water. However, small communities face financial, human resource, institutional, social, and technical challenges that test their ability to protect drinking water supplies. This research uses an in-depth case study analysis to evaluate the capacity of small communities in Nova Scotia's Annapolis and Cornwallis watersheds to protect their drinking water supplies. Communities in both watersheds have human resources and social networks that are capable of supporting source water protection activities. However, the institutional environment, financial resources, and technical capacity of these communities are varied. Small communities can protect their sources of drinking water when municipal governments make drinking water protection a priority, local community members are educated and aware of drinking water issues, and linkages among local governments, senior governments, and community members exist.

Ensuring water for high priority uses during periods of hydrologic drought is increasingly difficult due to the frequency of drought events and growing competition for limited resources. While some water allocation and drought planning mechanisms are commonly assigned to the local level, local government capacity and willingness to undertake and implement these often is not considered. An in-depth, case study analysis, of the small cities of Windom and Morris, Minnesota, was used to evaluate capacity for water allocation and drought planning in that State. Capacity for drought planning and water allocation was found to be weak in both municipalities. Municipal strengths were noted in the development of vertical and horizontal linkages with other organizations, and stable financial capacity. Some of the primary constraints hindering the development of capacity for periods of drought include local government perception of drought as a minor hazard and limited senior government incentives for compliance with state statues.

Despite the abundance of freshwater resources in Ontario, drought-induced water shortages continue to occur. In response to the drought-like conditions experienced in Ontario in 1998 and 1999, the Province of Ontario created a set of guidelines to manage drought conditions. 'Ontario Low Water Response' (2001) is designed to ensure provincial drought preparedness and to support and aid in the co-ordination of a local (watershed) response to drought. Under these guidelines, the province provides overall direction and co-ordinates policies, science and information systems, and emergency support. The local role is directed toward collecting information, interpreting policy, developing programs and responding to emergencies through the creation and implementation of water response teams. The Ontario drought guidelines are problematic in that they assume that watershed-based communities have the capacity to conduct drought contingency planning. This thesis investigated community capacity to carry out drought contingency planning in two rural Ontario watersheds. The Big Creek watershed is dominated by agriculture, while the upper Credit River watershed faces great pressure from urban development. Both watersheds are dependent upon groundwater and have experienced reduced water supply during recent drought-like conditions. Based on an investigation into the roles, responsibilities and communication patterns between and among agencies and organizations in each watershed, it was concluded that watershed communities have the capacity to create and implement a drought contingency plan. However, they require considerable assistance from the provincial government, especially in terms of regulating water withdrawals. In addition, this thesis identified four barriers to locally-led drought contingency planning including drought definition, policy coordination, communication, and community empowerment. Examples of local level drought contingency planning in Australia and the United States were used to indicate strengths and weaknesses in the Ontario drought guidelines. It was determined that the Ontario guidelines promote a collaborative approach. However, they are based on too many assumptions. To be successful at proactive planning, and to ensure an effective and timely response to drought conditions, community capacity to conduct drought contingency planning must be evaluated first. This thesis proposed an evaluative framework, which can be used to evaluate a community's capacity to carry out drought contingency planning.

This thesis is an investigation of the development of groundwater management in the State of New York. As pressures have increased on the quality and availability of water resources, groundwater is becoming an increasingly important source of public water supply. Changes in groundwater management practices have reflected recognition of this growing reliance. This research attempts to illustrate the manner in which groundwater management has unfolded, focusing on certain influences that have shaped past practices, current trends and continuing dilemmas. Personal interviews and written documents informed the research analysis. Although it was found that groundwater management remains crisis-oriented throughout much of the State, New York nevertheless has an institutional framework that potentially could allow for successful groundwater management and protection.

As senior levels of government step back from groundwater management activities in Ontario, some local agencies, such as conservation authorities, have become more involved. Despite their history of surface water management, conservation authorities' ability to manage groundwater resources is unknown. The capacity of a local agency to manage groundwater resources is determined by a variety of factors relating to the characteristics of the institutional environment, the community environment, and the agency itself. Based on a survey of all 38 conservation authorities in Ontario, and an in-depth analysis of the Upper Thames and Ganaraska Region conservation authorities, groundwater management capacity was found to be variable. Key considerations include limited senior government support for local groundwater management, and the importance of watershed residents' and municipalities' support for a role for conservation authorities in local groundwater management.

This thesis is an investigation of local water disputes and their management in Ontario. Two local water disputes, involving the Town of Halton Hills (Acton) and the Village of Winchester, were examined. The two water disputes focused on issues that relate to both water quantity and quality. Each dispute was managed using different dispute management approaches and tools. This research explored the factors that contributed to the disputes, and identified and evaluated the approaches used to manage the two water disputes. In both cases, the results indicate that there were a number of factors that escalated the dispute and impeded their management. However, only a select number of these factors were addressed in the management of the two water disputes.

This thesis is an analysis of municipal land use policy in the Credit River watershed, located in southwestern Ontario. It examines the various ways in which these municipalities address an integrated approach to water resource management through their official plans. The research produced a framework of integrated water management, consisting of four main elements, which was used as a foundation for the subsequent analysis of the official plans. This analysis involved an in depth examination of each land use policy within the set of official plans. The results of this analysis were used to identify trends and patterns among the municipalities regarding the various ways in which the framework is addressed. In general, it was determined that the municipalities strongly address the framework, with only a few specific areas identified for improvement.