California's Sacramento Valley and the surrounding Sierra Nevada foothills region have struggled with the challenge of ensuring a sustainable water supply in the face of recent explosive development. This report examines the Water Forum, a collaborative effort created to undertake long-range water planning and management on a regional level. The following chapters describe the environment of the Sacramento and foothills region; review the literature addressing collaboration and stakeholder participation; analyze the genesis and development of the Water Forum; and examine the strengths, weaknesses and achievements of the Forum. The report concludes with a discussion of the feasibility of applying the Water Forum's collaborative process to communities throughout the Western United States.
--Author's foreword.
