The Policy Delphi and Public Involvement Programs

Involvement of the public in water resources planning is generally required by federal law. However, the specific approach and techniques for involvement are left to the discretion of agencies participating in the particular project. This has resulted in considerable debate and experimentation aimed at discovery of effective public involvement techniques. This paper posits the Policy Delphi as one such technique, elaborates the major assumptions and rationale of the technique, and reports on an application of the approach in a water resources planning project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Policy Delphi proved to be a useful component of the public involvement program in this case, providing both planners and the wider public with informed opinion about water resources issues and alternatives. Methodological issues for consideration in future applications of the technique to water resources planning are discussed.