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James River StudyFinding and Creating Common Ground in Water Management: A Shared Vision Planning Approach for the James River Basin
Shared vision planning engages stakeholders in creation of interactive computer models that facilitate analysis of relationships among water-related activities in the Basin. The James is a multi-dimensional resource affecting a large portion of Virginia's population. Its extensive geographic scope, together with the diverse range of values associated with its waters, creates substantial potential for conflict as population and human activities continue to increase. The existing management structure does not provide the "big-picture" view needed to anticipate, mitigate, and resolve conflict. The shared-vision approach offers promise as a means to examine potential conflicts and solutions from a broad perspective incorporating diverse viewpoints.
The workshop is the mechanism to initiate stakeholder discussions of the potential of shared vision planning to advance water management in the James River Basin. After an introduction to collaborative modeling and a brief overview of Basin conditions and management programs, it will provide a forum for identification of problems and issues, begin to inventory information sources and availability, and establish working groups for collaborative model development.
The workshop has not been planned as a single event but will begin a continuing process of discussion, including a second workshop to be scheduled at a later date. It is not being conducted to debate the merits of any particular project proposal or previously developed management plan. The workshop is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources, in close consultation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Norfolk District of the Corps of Engineers. The collective hope of the organizers is that decision processes can be improved to increase their ability to address future management challenges in the James Basin.
Workshop Documents
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