Sustainability

Is small-scale automation sustainable? We think so, but only time will tell. Right now, in the Sevier River Basin, the Federal Government is handling the research and development and WUA (and its members) are shouldering the costs for equipment. The latter is also installing more and more of the equipment themselves. The private sector is assisting with development, and these costs are currently being shared by Reclamation and the water users.

Important keys to the survivability of the innovations include: (1) active participation by WUA staff with design, installation, and maintenance and (2) WUA providing a consistent level of funding. (WUA is currently providing base- level funding but it is not yet at a high enough level to assure sustainability.) It is critical that WUA staff remain involved at all levels. This will necessitate redefining jobs. For example, a river commissioner will need to evolve from a gate turner/strip-chart reader to a telecommunications/computer expert. This transition will not always be easy.