The Corps recognizes the value of and need for collaboration, partnering, and public participation in water resources decision making. To assist the Corps in implementing this collaborative approach, IWR has created a center of expertise on conflict resolution and public participation, the Conflict-resolution & Public-participation Center. CPC’s mission is to help Corps staff anticipate, prevent, and manage water conflicts, ensuring that the interests of the public are addressed in Corps decision making. The center achieves this mission by developing and expanding the application of collaborative tools to improve water resources decision making.

Key Center tasks include training, research, and application of collaborative process techniques and modeling tools.

Collaborative process techniques include:

• Collaborative process design (e.g. how to engage different stakeholders during different parts of the planning and decision-making process, meeting formats and structures)
• Conflict assessment and resolution techniques
• Decision-making methods

Collaborative modeling tools are developed through the Shared Vision Planning program of the CPC and include:

• Methods for collaborative simulation and visualization
• Lessons learned from case studies of collaborative technical analysis
• Primers on use of technical tools for collaborative evaluation of results and tradeoffs

The Center believes that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and collaborative planning tools and techniques can and should be used to avoid and minimize conflicts, rather than just employed once conflict emerges.

revised 28 Oct 2008