Water Resource Conflict Resolution Based on Interactive Tradeoffs Display

Rehabilitation of degraded water resource systems, especially large scale systems such as Danube, Mississippi or the Volga River, inevitably involve conflicts over who pays, who benefits, and how much. This paper reviews the application of computer-aided approaches to water resources conflict resolution based on the generation and interactive display of the efficient tradeoff curves among conflicting performance criteria associated with various possible decisions. Computing of efficient tradeoffs is based on a mathematical model describing the system being managed. The model is supposed to be mutually acceptable to all stakeholders. Negotiators can interactively explore the full implications of solutions that represent efficient tradeoffs among identified performance criteria. In this way they can become more informed about compromises that can be made among conflicting criteria. This approach is applied to the real-time allocation of water to agricultural and environmental users whose demand for water usually exceeds the supply. Application of these procedures using computer networks (e.g., Internet or intranets) is discussed.