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Competition for Water Resources: Experiences and Management Approaches in the U.S. and Europe addresses the escalation of global issues regarding water scarcity and the necessary, cost-effective strategies that must be put in place in order to deal with escalating water crisis. The book evaluates use and competition for water resources in the U.S. and Europe, emphasizing the problems and challenges of dealing with tradeoffs in water. In addition, the book discusses water management strategies that can be used to optimize water use and allocation, mitigate water scarcity, and adapt to water scarcity. Supplementing the numerous case studies, the book includes lessons learned from applying specific strategies and approaches. This comprehensive overview and comparison of management practices across two continents is an invaluable resource for researchers, policymakers, and educators in water. - Provides a national and regional perspective through the use of country specific case study examples - Includes a comparative analysis between the U.S. and Europe, illustrating experiences in water management from two sides of the Atlantic - Covers interdisciplinary topics related to water, such as agriculture and energy

All over the world countries struggle with water stress. Problems vary from water scarcity and a degrading water quality, to floods and a rising sea level due to climate change. The European Union adopted a Water Framework Directive to improve the sustainability of water management in its member states. Water management should be coordinated at the level of river basins as a whole. Interests of various user groups should be better represented. River basin visions should take into account the impact of all human activities on the status of the resource. Water legislation needs streamlining and more focus on its implementation. The European Union advocates regulating water prices by charging the costs of water services on the basis of full cost recovery and the polluter pays principle. This book examines the development of water management in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. It is based on the European research project EUWARENESS. The authors apply a theoretical framework for the analysis of institutional regimes, water governance and property rights. The evolution of national water resource regimes is described over a period of almost 200 years (1800-2000). The long-term perspective enables the reader to see the conditions under which regime transformation and paradigm change are made possible. The book also includes a critical analysis of policy making by the European Union, and a comparative review and analysis of regime development in the six countries involved. This book is followed by another volume published with Kluwer Academic Publishers on'Integrated Governance and Water Basin Management', edited by Hans Bressers and Stefan Kuks.

Disclaimer The work reported in this book was carried out prior to the publication of the final guidance document on Heavily Modified and Artificial Water Bodies of the Water Framework Directive Common Implementation Strategy. The European Commission, the project donors, the project managers, the Working Group on Heavily Modified Water Bodies of the Common Implementation Strategy and the authors do not necessarily endorse all approaches that were taken in the case studies that are reported. About Ecologic Ecologic, Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, is a private not-for-profit think tank for applied environmental research, policy analysis and c- sultancy with offices in Berlin and Brussels. An independent, non-partisan body, Ecologic is dedicated to bringing fresh ideas to environmental policies and sustainable development. Ecologic's work programme focuses on obtaining practical results. It c- ers the entire spectrum of environmental issues and includes the integration of en- ronmental concerns into other policy fields. Ecologic is the German partner in the network of Institutes for European Envir- mental Policy. Founded in 1995, Ecologic has a multi-disciplinary staff that includes lawyers, negotiators, social and natural scientists, economists, technologists, and pl- ners. With a focus on Europe and North America, Ecologic's activities cover a growing geographical area and involve policy-makers, business leaders, technical experts and representatives of civil society organisations. Ecologic is officially recognised as being in the public interest. Donations to Ecologic are tax-deductible.

This study proposes a comparative accounting framework for assessing cost recovery of water supply and sewerage services for households and agriculture in line with the requirements of Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). It provides an integrative analysis of the partly contradictory objectives of Article 9 and the Directive's approach to cost recovery. The book defines cost categories and accounting guidelines in line with the specific requirements of WFD Article 9. On this basis, an integrative framework for analysing different financing schemes for water services provision and their compliance with the objectives of Article 9 is developed, along with a pragmatic approach for the incorporation of environmental and resource costs in the overall cost recovery analysis.

Illustrated with case studies which explain key concepts and provide practical examples, this book provides a detailed and comprehensive introduction to water management issues from a European perspective. The book begins with a brief history of water management, followed by a consideration of the major frameworks used for managing water in its qualitative and quantitative aspects. Several chapters treat key water management issues, including; dams, privatization, hydropolitics, climate change and finally provides a synoptic treatment of major water management issues across Europe's geographical regions.