Intranational Cooperation and Conflict over Freshwater: Examples from the Western United States

Abstract

Abstract:From the Klamath basin in the Pacific Northwest to the Jordan basin in the Middle East, water conflicts can be disruptive, and affect a wide range of stakeholders, often with varying interests. As competition between water users and water use sectors increases, the potential for conflict increases, especially when governing institutions differ (Jarvis et al. 2005). However, research has shown that cooperation is more prevalent than conflict in international river basins (Wolf 1998; Wolf et al. 2003). As the demand for water approaches or meets available supply, intranational conflicts may increase (Postel and Wolf 2001). This paper explores cooperative and conflictive behavior over freshwater at two intranational scales in the western United States. Incidents of cooperation and conflict were collected and coded using a standardized classification system and compiled into event databases. As was found in international river basins, cooperation is more common than conflict in intranational settings.