Potentials for Public Engagement in Source Water Protection in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Literature Review

Abstract

This literature review explores the role of citizen engagement in watershed planning, governance, and management, and more specifically the implications for increased citizen engagement in source water protection efforts in Newfoundland and Labrador. This is particularly of concern for rural Newfoundland and Labrador, which suffers from a lack of capacity to adequately manage source water supplies that contribute to their drinking water systems. It has been found in other areas of Canada and beyond that increased citizen engagement can have a myriad of benefits for watershed stewardship in general, and can help to address the lack of human and financial capacity to sustainably plan, govern and manage source water supplies. Potentials for more opportunities for public engagement and better methods of public engagement in source water protection have been provided, according to the literature, as well as potential areas for future research related to this topic.