PRESS RELEASE: Interstate Council on Water Policy Interstates Report –October 1, 2020

PRESS RELEASE: Interstate Council on Water Policy Interstates Report –October 1, 2020

For Immediate Release

For more information:  Sue Lowry ICWP Executive Director  Sue@icwp.org

ICWP RELEASES UPDATED REPORT ON INTERSTATE WATER SOLUTIONS   

The Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP) announces the release of an updated study that examines ways in which states have organized solutions to water resource management challenges across state boundaries. The report refreshes findings from a 2006 study, providing new examples of interstate water management initiatives, additional lessons learned, and observations of changes in the federal landscape. Entitled Interstate Water Solutions: Lessons from the Past and Recommendations for the Future — A Look toward 2050, the report and accompanying Executive Summary are available online at:  2020 Interstates Report

“As a national leader in promoting sound policy making at the state, interstate, and federal levels, ICWP is ideally positioned to move water resource planning, policy and management from the present toward 2050,” says Sue Lowry, ICWP Executive Director. “By updating the 2006 study, we want to ensure that we are making recommendations that accurately reflect current watershed management arrangements. To that end, we have added information on our ‘current era’ of watershed management, emerging factors that are transforming interstate partnerships, new case studies, and opportunities for improvement, such as the expansion of data technologies and growing recognition of eco-system services.”

Ultimately, ICWP believes this study will inform an action agenda to improve water resource policy and management by the ICWP in partnership with federal officials and association leaders. Soon to be released is a companion document that will be a primer on the types of interstate arrangements that have been organized between member states.

The 69-page report provides a thorough history of how multi-jurisdictional organizations have evolved over the past 200 years. A wide variety of forms, functions, and authorities were developed to meet specific needs, ranging from low-budget, ad-hoc arrangements to legislatively based commissions with regulatory authority. Lessons learned from past experiences are valuable as the interstate governance of watershed issues continues to evolve. The report also looks at the nature of federal government involvement in providing scientific information, technical assistance, and funding.

The Interstate Council on Water Policy is a national organization, formed in 1959, that provides regional, state, and local water resources agencies a voice in helping to shape today’s key water management policies and how they impact real-world issues. Its members directly contribute to development and execution of our nation’s water policies and legislation. 

For more information, visit www.icwp.org.