water Article The Rocky Path to Source Water Protection: A Cross-Case Analysis of Drinking Water Crises in Small Communities in Canada Maura Hanrahan 1,* and Benjamin Dosu Jnr 2 1 Associate Professor & Board of Governors Research Chair Tier II, Department of Native American Studies, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Lethbridge, University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada 2 PhD candidate, Cultural, Social and Political Thought Program, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Lethbridge, University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 6T5, Canada;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +1-403-329-2768 Academic Editor: Jay R. Lund Received: 29 March 2017; Accepted: 25 May 2017; Published: 1 June 2017 Abstract: Source water protection (SWP) is increasingly seen as effective in reducing the incidence and extent of drinking water crises, yet its facilitation requires certain measures. Canada has one of the most decentralized water governance systems in the world. We sought to understand the experience and impacts of drinking water crises at community and government levels in a decentralized context: the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador through cross-case analysis. We selected our three study communities through a database of media reports in 2014 followed by invitations to community leaders. We used descriptive and qualitative methods, specifically structured interview schedules with both closed- and open-ended questions, and interviewed four community leaders and three provincial government officials. We used NVivo in data analysis, especially in the identification of themes. While government officials defined water crises largely in terms of SWP, this was not the same for communities, whose concern was mainly water access, specifically water shortages.