Water Sustainability Project

The Water Sustainability Project (WSP) began in 2003 at the University of Victoria's POLIS Project on Ecological Governance in British Columbia, Canada.

The WSP recognizes that water scarcity is largely a social dilemma that cannot be solved by technical innovations alone. Instead this crisis of governance must be addressed through new integrated approaches to water management and decision-making that embeds the notion of ecological sustainability in government, business and industry, and civil society.

By focusing on fundamental governance issues such as long-term comprehensive watershed based planning, decision making, innovative institutional and ecosystem-based legal reforms, the WSP seeks to establish a new water paradigm based on conservation, stewardship and sustainability. To address this challenge the project is divided into three core research themes crucial to a sustainable water future:

• » Water Conservation & The Soft Path
• » Water-Energy Nexus
• » Water Law, Policy & Governance

As a critical aspect of this initiative the WSP continues to develop innovative legal, institutional and practical approaches that embody the principles of ecological governance. Our work provides the foundation for a comprehensive legal and policy framework for sustainable water management and is complemented by detailed action plans for federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada.

• » WSP Project Objectives
• » WSP Historical Highlights (PDF)

Key Publications

• Thinking Beyond Pipes and Pumps: Top 10 Ways Communities Can Save Water and Money (2006) - La version française
• The Soft Path for Water in a Nutshell (2006)
• At a Watershed: Ecological Governance and Sustainable Water Management in Canada (2005)

 
Recent Publications and Activities

• Greenhouse Gas and Energy Co-Benefits of Water Conservation (2009)
• Water Conservation Planning Guide for British Columbia's Communities (2009)
• Going with the Flow? Evolving Water Allocations and the Potential and Limits of Water Markets in Canada (2009)
• Making the Most of the Water We Have (2009)
• WaterSmart Toolkit: a resource to support communities transition from supply-side management to long-term integrated water conservation planning.
• Water Licenses and Conservation: Future Directions for Land Trusts in British Columbia (2008)
• Changing the Flow: a Blueprint for Federal Action on Water (2007)
• “Moving Water Conservation to Centre Stage” Oliver M Brandes, David Brooks and Michael M’Gonigle in Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water (2006), Vancouver: UBC Press

Visit the Water Sustainability Project web site for more information and online copies of all of our publications.

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