A multi‐year experiment demonstrates the potential for using Shared Vision Planning—a well-established method for collaborative planning—to prevent or resolve disputes over permits for water supply projects. The proposed Halligan and Seaman Reservoir expansions are currently under review by the Corps of Engineers, which has permitting authority for such projects under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Past cases, such as Two Forks Reservoir in Colorado and King William Reservoir in Virginia, give reason to be concerned that the 404 permitting process will lead to costly, protracted disputes, and so the permit applicants for these projects—the cities of Fort Collins and Greeley, Colorado, and the North Poudre Irrigation Company—decided to test whether Shared Vision Planning might be helpful for the permitting process. The results are promising and warrant further investigation of using SVP for these projects and other 404 permitting processes.
