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BRIDGING CITIZENS and DECISION- MAKERS by LEE

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BRIDGING CITIZENS and DECISION- MAKERS by LEE COMMUNITY-BASED WATER MONITORING: BRIDGING CITIZENS AND DECISION- MAKERS By LEE-ANNE WALKER B.A., University of Alberta, 1985 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in ENVIRONMENT AND MANAGEMENT We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard .......................................................... Dr. Lenore Newman, MEM Program Head School of Environment and Sustainability .......................................................... Dr. Ann Dale, Trudeau Fellow, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development .......................................................... Dr. Tony Boydell, Director School of Environment and Sustainability ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY September 2009 © Lee-Anne Walker, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l’édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-58711-9 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-58711-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L’auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l’Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L’auteur conserve la propriété du droit d’auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author’s permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n’y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. COMMUNITY BASED WATER i ABSTRACT Community-based water monitoring (CBWM) is an activity that can bridge citizens with decision-makers in a partnership of shared responsibility for planning and managing a sustainable water system. Water quality and quantity is critical to every aspect of life. Citizen groups in the Canadian Columbia Basin, British Columbia, are actively gathering water data monitoring the health of local rivers and streams. As their knowledge increases citizens can be involved in meaningful dialogue and government decisions regarding their future. This explanatory case study interviews eight community-based water groups and sixteen decision makers to examine how citizen-generated data might be utilized when planning and managing for water sustainability in the Basin. The findings of this study are directed at members of the Columbia Basin Watershed Network, made up of twenty-three community-based water groups, agencies and individuals. Specific recommendations are made from the research findings to increase the legitimacy and quality of community-based water science, methods for sharing data collected through improved communication, and suggested strategies for collaboration that strengthen relationships between community members and decision makers inside and outside the Network. COMMUNITY BASED WATER ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the community-based water groups in the Columbia Basin for allowing me to use your experience and stories for this thesis research. Your tireless effort and dedication to the watershed is continually inspiring. Equally interested in the research topic were the water decision makers, both appointed and elected, who work with community. Thank you for your efforts to make ‘good’ decisions, even though your human and fiscal resources are continually reduced. To my thesis advisor Ann Dale, your wisdom and support through this challenging process is deeply appreciated. To Kindy Gosal, thank you for believing in this research project and providing a repository for the findings and recommendations. I hope that the results will help you in your work to convene and facilitate a more effective relationship between community-based water groups and decision makers. I would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Columbia Basin Trust, which delivers social, economic and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. Special thanks to Jim and Laura Duncan for the leadership they provide to coordinate the efforts of the groups participating in the Water Quality Monitoring Pilot. To Gary and Chalice my deepest gratitude for your support and patience during this process. Without you my sanity would have ‘gone down the drain’. Your strokes of encouragement, route finding through rough waters and respite in the safe eddies of love, made this thesis possible. Lastly to my parents Lyle and Jacqueline Ford, you have instilled in me the value of community service. Both of you are a testament that we can make a difference. COMMUNITY BASED WATER iii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to all of the people in the Columbia Basin who work tirelessly to ensure a healthy environment for today and future generations. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead, Culture and Commitment COMMUNITY BASED WATER iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. vi LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 CONTEXT FOR RESEARCH ......................................................................5 2.1 Water Sustainability ..................................................................................................5 2.1.1 The Global Water Dilemma .................................................................................5 2.1.2 Canada, British Columbia and Columbia Basin Water Illusion .........................6 2.1.3 Defining Water Sustainability ..............................................................................8 2.2 Water Governance ...................................................................................................10 2.2.1 Water Governance Tools ...................................................................................10 2.2.2 Other Water Governance Tools .........................................................................12 2.2.3 Shortcomings of the Water Decision Making Process ......................................13 2.2.4 Water Policy Required to Achieve Sustainability ..............................................15 2.3 Where Community Based Science fits in to Sustainable Water Governance ..........18 2.3.1 Government Needs Community Involvement in Water Sustainability ...............18 2.3.2 Engaging Community to Participate in Water Decision Making ......................19 2.3.3 Where Citizens Might Contribute to Water Sustainability ................................22 2.4 Summary ..................................................................................................................23 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................25 3.1 Research Design .......................................................................................................26 3.2 Data Collection .........................................................................................................28 3.3 Case Study Description ............................................................................................30 3.3.1. Columbia Basin Watershed Network ................................................................30 3.3.2. Community-based Watershed Groups ..............................................................31 3.3.3. Water Decision Makers ....................................................................................32 3.4 Data Analysis ...........................................................................................................33 3.4.1. Analytic Technique ...........................................................................................34
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