A quiet revolution is being led by men and women who care about sustainable use of water resources, public health, and the environment. This revolution is directed toward new ways to manage and balance water resources and the needs of the environment. It is Total Water Management, or TWM. TWM is the exercise of stewardship and shared governance of water resources among utilities, business, and government for the greatest good of society and the environment.
Total Water Management: Practices for a Sustainable Future explains what TWM means in unambiguous language. It expands, explains, and illustrates TWM concepts and how to apply them. It is a useful, practical book on water planning for water resource managers, designed to help managers fairly allocate limited water resources among competing users, based on social values, cost-effectiveness, and needs of the natural water systems.
The book explains how to identify and involve all stakeholders in decision-making processes. It defines the viewpoint of each stakeholder group: utilities, consumers, industry, agriculture, government officials, regulators, suppliers, public interest groups, and others and their roles and responsibilities in making TWM successful.
With this book, water managers can:
• use TWM to balance competing uses through efficient allocation by planning and managing dynamically
• adapt TWM to changing conditions and local and regional variations
• use TWM to share responsibility, coordination, and conflict resolution to reach decisions with participation of all units of government and stakeholders
Total Water Management: Practices for a Sustainable Future offers to water utility managers and others involved in the water industry powerful and urgently needed tools to balance needs of water management and the environment. This book serves as an instruction manual for integrating the water needs of society and the environment. It is about the balance between our responsibilities to provide safe and reliable water services and to protect the environment.
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