The Patchwork Governance of Ecologically Available Water: A Case Study in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, USA

Keywords: drought, ecological drought, governance, institutions
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Institutional authority and responsibility for allocating water to ecosystems (“ecologically available water”) is spread across local, state, and federal agencies, which operate under a range of statutes, mandates, and planning processes. This presentation uses a case study of the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin in southwestern Montana, USA, to illustrate this fragmented institutional landscape. The presentation will (a) describe the patchwork of agencies and institutional actors whose intersecting authorities and actions influence the ecologically available water in the study basin; (b) describe the range of governance mechanisms these agencies use, including laws, policies, administrative programs, and planning processes; and (c) show where the collective governance regime creates gaps in responsibility. Findings highlight how the governance regime (a) includes a range of nested mechanisms that in various ways facilitate or hinder the governance of ecologically available water; (b) leaves certain aspects of ecologically available water unaddressed; and (c) does not adequately account for the interconnections between water in different parts of the ecosystem, creating integrative gaps. Findings suggest that more intentional and robust coordination could provide a means to address these gaps. Future directions for more research on this topic will also be discussed.