Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
O
between benefits reliant on leaving water in the resource, and benefits
reliant on extraction of water; and
O
between benefits associated with extraction of water, either between
different categories of uses (for example, water for urban use, mining and
agriculture) or between users at different locations.
Determining the management option to be adopted should be based on
consideration of the assessments of benefits and impacts and input from the
community. It can be highly iterative, with options being adjusted or new
options being developed as implications are investigated. It is often done
in two parts. The first is a draft plan with recommended actions prepared
by agency officers, that is the end result of their consideration of various
management options. The draft plan is usually put out for public comment.
The second part is a final plan that is put to a government Minister, or
delegate with the appropriate authority, for approval.
Chapter 7 illustrates the kinds of actions that have been used for water
management that could be considered in water resource plan development.
Chapter 8 discusses how actions grouped as management options can be assessed
and compared in order to determine what actions should be adopted in the plan.
Implementation
This is simply the implementation of the actions set out in the plan, typically
by the agency responsible for managing the water resource in conjunction
with stakeholders, either collaboratively or through regulatory or other
mechanisms.
Monitoring and evaluation
No matter how much effort goes into planning or how good the science is,
the reality is that no plan is likely to perfectly achieve its objectives because of
challenges in implementation, uncertainty about cause and effect and unexpected
changes in human water needs and climate. These factors mandate the need for
a monitoring and evaluation regime. Regular 'formative' evaluations during
implementation can improve plan implementation, guiding corrective action as
required. Less frequent 'summative' evaluations that consider the effectiveness of
the plan as a whole in achieving its objectives and the appropriateness of those
objectives determine whether a revision of the plan is needed.
The design of monitoring programs and the evaluation schemes is discussed
further in Chapter 9.
Delivering the process
To ensure agreement to a process and the resources necessary to carry it out,
governments often embed the water resource planning process in policy and
