Democratizing risk management: Successful public involvement in local water management decisions

This paper discusses a successful public involvement effort that addressed and resolved several highly controversial water management issues involving environmental and flood risks associated with an electrical generation fac ility in British Columbia. It begins with a discussion of concepts for desi gning public involvement, summarizing research that indicates why individua ls and groups may find it difficult to make complex choices. Reasons for pu blic involvement, and the range of current practices are discussed. Next, f our principles for designing group decision process are outlined, emphasizi ng decision-aiding concepts that include "value-focused thinking" and "adap tive management." The next sections discuss the Alouette River Stakeholder Committee process in terms of objectives, participation, process, methods f or structuring values and creating alternatives, information sources, and r esults. Discussion and conclusions complete the paper.