Water
Facilitating decision-making about water quality, supply, and allocation at scales from a single community water system to a multi-state river basin.
Water is a precious, limited, and contested resource. Tough water policy and management decisions routinely surface conflict among agencies, utilities, communities, and Tribes.
Water connects everyone who depends on it, from federal and state agencies, utilities and water districts, Tribes, irrigators, environmental organizations, and communities. Decisions about quality, supply, and allocation are rarely simple. Different levels of information, interpretation, planning paralysis, dispute, and litigation can lead to conflict.
Kearns & West helps navigate the toughest decisions about water. We facilitate decision-making at different scales, from a single community water system to multi-state river basin. Our work builds trust and the shared understanding that lasting water resource management outcomes require.
Featured Projects
San Joaquin River Restoration Program
Implementing a landmark San Joaquin River settlement involved water, environmental, landowner, community, and government interests in a 150-mile river restoration.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Bay Delta Office Long-Term Operations Facilitation Services
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation needed third-party facilitation to coordinate operations among competing interests where technical solutions were insufficient.
Pure Water Los Angeles Community Engagement
The City of Los Angeles needs to build trust and acceptance with community members for its new purified water program.
Our Proven Performance
Resolve conflict over water resources
Kearns & West brings people to the table, turning differing interests into common ground through mediation, facilitation, community engagement, and process design.
Provide independent mediation, facilitation and engagement
We provide independent and neutral mediation, facilitation, and engagement of interested parties, to support credible processes, build trust for long-term partnerships, and support durable solutions.
Create understanding, coordination, and agreements
Our work starts with shared understanding of the project, regulations, and science, which prepares parties to coordinate, and ultimately achieve lasting agreements on water management.
Serve as trusted, experienced, and knowledgeable advisors
Our team has decades of experiences spanning basin-scale fisheries recovery, major water projects, groundwater sustainability, water reuse, supply diversification, drought and flood planning, and watershed management.
Start the conversation with us.
Tell us where your process is stuck. We will map the agencies, users, and timelines and lay out a path that holds up.