The water soft path (WSP) has been formulated as a progressive paradigm in water management. The WSP has four main principles: water should be viewed as a service; ecological sustainability is of utmost importance; water quantity and quality should be conserved; and planning should be done from the future backwards, not projected from the present. It may be possible to use conservation-based water pricing programs, especially at the residential level, in order to incrementally implement the WSP. Moreover, the implementation of residential seasonal water rates has been suggested as a method to curb peak demand in municipal water systems, thereby deferring infrastructure expansion. The purpose of this thesis is to answer the question: what are the barriers to implementing residential seasonal water rates in the Region of Waterloo? This question is addressed using a variety of data sources, with the majority of the information coming from academic and non-academic literature, and from interviews with water professionals and local councillors. The results provide a descriptive case study concerning the barriers to implementing seasonal water rates in one particular region of southwestern Ontario, but the conclusions can be generalized to describe some of the barriers to the implementation of seasonal water rates in Ontario. Results suggest that some barriers are more severe than others, and that the more serious ones may be addressed by: expounding the potential for seasonal water rates to curb peak demand; carefully designing a rate study to be administered with non-price programs; and implementing the designed rate structure as a pilot study. It is suggested that the implementation of seasonal water rates can be used as an incremental step towards the adoption of WSP principles, but not without first envisioning a desirable future.

The water soft path (WSP) has been formulated as a progressive paradigm in water management. The WSP has four main principles: water should be viewed as a service; ecological sustainability is of utmost importance; water quantity and quality should be conserved; and planning should be done from the future backwards, not projected from the present. It may be possible to use conservation-based water pricing programs, especially at the residential level, in order to incrementally implement the WSP. Moreover, the implementation of residential seasonal water rates has been suggested as a method to curb peak demand in municipal water systems, thereby deferring infrastructure expansion. The purpose of this thesis is to answer the question: what are the barriers to implementing residential seasonal water rates in the Region of Waterloo? This question is addressed using a variety of data sources, with the majority of the information coming from academic and non-academic literature, and from interviews with water professionals and local councillors. The results provide a descriptive case study concerning the barriers to implementing seasonal water rates in one particular region of southwestern Ontario, but the conclusions can be generalized to describe some of the barriers to the implementation of seasonal water rates in Ontario. Results suggest that some barriers are more severe than others, and that the more serious ones may be addressed by: expounding the potential for seasonal water rates to curb peak demand; carefully designing a rate study to be administered with non-price programs; and implementing the designed rate structure as a pilot study. It is suggested that the implementation of seasonal water rates can be used as an incremental step towards the adoption of WSP principles, but not without first envisioning a desirable future.

O aumento das regiões de escassez de água ao redor do mundo traz à tona questionamentos acerca de como a sociedade moderna utiliza a água e de que forma isso afetará a disponibilidade hídrica futura. Os resultados políticos, que têm influência significativa no agravamento destes eventos, são moldados por estratégias que refletem as preferências políticas dos atores envolvidos na gestão da água. Exemplos dessas estratégias são: a gestão da oferta, a gestão da demanda e o water soft path. A gestão da oferta é caracterizada pela dependência quase sistemática da busca por novas fontes de água. Enquanto a água estiver disponível para ser alocada, mesmo de locais distantes, há pouca discussão sobre medidas alternativas. A política de coalizão existe quando pessoas de dentro e fora do governo se mobilizam e interagem para traduzir suas crenças e ideias em ações concretas. Estas interações podem resultar em mudança ou na continuidade política. A pesquisa visou responder à questão de quais coalizões são identificadas no subsistema de gestão da água na crise hídrica da RMSP e quais abordagens de gestão essas utilizam. Para isso, valeu-se do Modelo de Coalizões de Defesa como ferramenta teórica, bem como de ferramentas computacionais de análise de redes sociais e de frequência de palavras como ferramentas metodológicas. Esse trabalho explorou a reafirmação da coalizão político-tecnocrática ao longo do período da crise hídrica. Essa coalizão foi articulada em torno do governo do Estado e de técnicos e gestores da Companhia Estadual de Saneamento; de forma que eles conseguiram centralizar as decisões em um grupo restrito de atores políticos e traduzir suas ideias em planos de obras emergenciais, guiados pelo paradigma da gestão da oferta. / The increase of water scarcity regions around the world raises questions about how modern society uses water and how this could affect future water availability. Political outcomes, which ones have a significant influence on the aggravation of these events, are shaped by strategies that reflect the political preferences of stakeholders involved in water management. Examples of these strategies are: supply management, demand management and water soft path. Supply- side management is characterized by the dependence from new water sources exploration. While water is available to be allocated, even from distant locations, there is few discussions about alternative measures. Coalition policy exists when people inside and outside the government mobilize and interact to translate their beliefs and ideas into concrete actions. These interactions can result in change or political continuity. The present research aims to answer the follow question: which policy coalitions could be identified into water policy subsystem during the water crisis in São Paulo Metropolitan Area? In order to achieve this goal, we applied The Advocacy Coalition Framework as theoretical tool and computational network analysis and word frequency as methodology. This work explores the politic-technocrat coalition continuity during water crisis. This coalition is articulated around State Government and State Sanitary Company, so they can translate their ideas in contingence plans underpinning by water supply paradigm.

Freshwater availability, allocation and quality are increasingly becoming a concern in Canada. Canada’s apparent availability of abundant freshwater is not what it was thought to be. With increasing competition for water sources and inadequate management systems water use and management approaches are being re-examined. While urban and municipal water uses are highly studied, Canadian industrial water use is not. Despite that industrial water use is understudied, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is a major user of water and contributes to quality water issues where mills are located. This thesis is divided into two equally important parts. First, this research seeks to understand the influences and prevailing conditions on the decision-making framework of pulp and paper mills. Second, it seeks to understand how the prevailing conditions affect the applicability of the water soft-path concept in the pulp and paper industry. It will contribute to the literature of Canadian industrial water management. This research specifically examines the applicability of the water soft-path concept under the stresses and realities of the systems of influence identified as market forces, policy and regulation, and technology faced by the Canadian pulp and paper industry. Corporate culture was an implicitly common thread that ran through these systems of influence. A variety of methods were used in this study including, a literature review conducted by themes, surveys, interviews, analysis of archival data and backcasting were used as the methodological approaches. The literature review was conducted by themes of water management, technology, market forces, regulation and corporate culture. Surveys were conducted to gain water use data from specific mills but a low response rate required a widening of the research boundaries. Interviews were conducted with government officials, industry representatives, and environmental non-governmental organizations. The interviews contributed to the boundary setting and understanding of the influences that impact decision-making for industry. The analysis of archival data was to better understand how water use in pulp and paper mills has changed through the years. Understandably the systems of influence (market forces, policy and regulation, and technology) work independently and together to create a complex environment in which decisions on water use in pulp and paper mills are made. The complexity of the decision-making framework is great and the barriers to water soft-path application difficult. Market forces are less capable of addressing environmental externalities such as water. Regulation and policy has yet to address water use in industry. Technology does provide an important opportunity for efficient water use and application of the pulp and paper industry. Ultimately, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is in a redefining moment where opportunity exists to create a new direction and approach to water use in the Canadian pulp and paper industry.

Freshwater availability, allocation and quality are increasingly becoming a concern in Canada. Canada’s apparent availability of abundant freshwater is not what it was thought to be. With increasing competition for water sources and inadequate management systems water use and management approaches are being re-examined. While urban and municipal water uses are highly studied, Canadian industrial water use is not. Despite that industrial water use is understudied, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is a major user of water and contributes to quality water issues where mills are located. This thesis is divided into two equally important parts. First, this research seeks to understand the influences and prevailing conditions on the decision-making framework of pulp and paper mills. Second, it seeks to understand how the prevailing conditions affect the applicability of the water soft-path concept in the pulp and paper industry. It will contribute to the literature of Canadian industrial water management. This research specifically examines the applicability of the water soft-path concept under the stresses and realities of the systems of influence identified as market forces, policy and regulation, and technology faced by the Canadian pulp and paper industry. Corporate culture was an implicitly common thread that ran through these systems of influence. A variety of methods were used in this study including, a literature review conducted by themes, surveys, interviews, analysis of archival data and backcasting were used as the methodological approaches. The literature review was conducted by themes of water management, technology, market forces, regulation and corporate culture. Surveys were conducted to gain water use data from specific mills but a low response rate required a widening of the research boundaries. Interviews were conducted with government officials, industry representatives, and environmental non-governmental organizations. The interviews contributed to the boundary setting and understanding of the influences that impact decision-making for industry. The analysis of archival data was to better understand how water use in pulp and paper mills has changed through the years. Understandably the systems of influence (market forces, policy and regulation, and technology) work independently and together to create a complex environment in which decisions on water use in pulp and paper mills are made. The complexity of the decision-making framework is great and the barriers to water soft-path application difficult. Market forces are less capable of addressing environmental externalities such as water. Regulation and policy has yet to address water use in industry. Technology does provide an important opportunity for efficient water use and application of the pulp and paper industry. Ultimately, the Canadian pulp and paper industry is in a redefining moment where opportunity exists to create a new direction and approach to water use in the Canadian pulp and paper industry.