Integrating Water Quality and Water Resources Planning

Abstract

Technical, behavioral, and institutional constraints have hampered the integration of water quality and water resources planning. Although the conceptual relationship between water resources and water quality planning has changed remarkably in the past few years, only minor advances have been made in true integration. The evolution of water quality planning and development has taken place in an institutional structure almost the reverse of planning and management of water resources. Most of the water quality advances have been made at the local or regional level while water resources activities have usually been a federal responsibility. The most significant short-term obstacles to integration are the institutionalized problems including the need for a more coordinated and stabilized system of intergovernmental relations and more formal recognition of meaningful community and state goals, including positive contributions of the public.