Book Description

This publication presents six case studies of water utilities which have implemented some form of IRP process to illustrate the successes and problems encountered. Chapter 1 of this report introduces the concept of IRP (Integrated Resource Planning) and compares the IRP approach with traditional and least-cost planning approaches. Chapter 2 defines the key terms used throughout the manual and discusses the history of IRP in the energy industry (electric and gas utilities). It addresses the need for IRP in the water industry and sets forth the fundamentals or components of the IRP process. Chapter 3 presents a summary of the water resource management and planning processes of all the water utility participants on this projects. It also provides detailed discussions of the lessons learned from the six case study utilities and the strengths and weaknesses of their approaches. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority case study was conducted through on-site interviews. The remaining five case studies were conducted through telephone interviews and through a written survey designed by the research team. Chapter 4 synthesizes the information from the previous chapter and discusses strategies and opportunities for achieving success, with a detailed discussion on how to utilize stakeholders effectively. Chapter 5 introduces step-by-step guidelines toward implementing an effective IRP process. Chapter 6 contains insights and detailed discussions on how to calculate avoided costs, how to include externalities in the planning process, and how to conduct cost-benefits analyses of all the planning alternatives being considered. Two appendices follow Chapter 6. Appendix A contains the detailed case studies of the six water utilities. Appendix B contains the actual survey used by the research team to develop the case studies. Finally, the report concludes with a list of references cited in the text and two bibliographies.