State Government Roles in Water Governance: Time for an Upgrade

State governments play important parts in water governance, including risk reduction from floods and droughts. A framework for programs should include planning and policy, regulation, and support for local government and basin stakeholders. Analysis of activities in 10 states showed that programs evolved along different trajectories, but federal law and grant funding were determining factors in all. Core regulatory programs for water safety and pollution control are unlikely to change much, but regulation of water allocation will shift in some states. States also play essential roles in financial assistance, although other capacity building programs are unlikely to increase. Planning and policy development are the major areas of needed state activity to help forge holistic solutions to regional water problems. States may find their emerging roles to be unfamiliar territory, and they must study needed institutional change through water framework studies and active dialogues about problems and required responses.