California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), a landmark piece of legislation in the quest for comprehensive management of California’s groundwater, required the creation of Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs), and authorized local governments either to form GSAs separately or join with other local governments in the same groundwater basin. This was the genesis of 74 interorganizational agreements now examined in a new report, which focuses on whether, given the high stakes and history of conflict in water resources management in California, participants were prepared for disagreements with dispute resolution clauses in their planning.
This report, Dispute Resolution Clauses in Interorganizational Coordination Agreements: A Comparative Analysis, takes advantage of the unique circumstance of so many interorganizational agreements with the same origin being formed at the same time and finds considerable room for further education and advocacy regarding the importance of providing for conflict and its resolution in interorganizational coordination in order to resolve disputes and avoid litigation. This comparative analysis shows the benefits of proactive management of conflict to reduce costs and increase efficiency in interorganizational relationships.
Best regards,
Buzz Thompson
Faculty Director
Water in the West
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