AWWA JAW63368

Negotiations over water rights are often difficult and contentious. In an effort to shed some light on what could make them easier and more productive, two workshops were convened with negotiators, stakeholders, mediators, and attorneys seasoned in the dynamics of water negotiations. The catalyst for these workshops was the effort to resolve water conflicts in Oregon's Klamath Basin by mediated negotiations. The Natural Resources Law Center of the University of Colorado Law School organized the workshops with the goals of understanding why water conflicts are so difficult to resolve by negotiation and developing some practical guidelines for how to organize and conduct a difficult water negotiation. The results of this effort, which are presented in this article as 10 guidelines, represent a set of ideas, suggestions, and warnings from experienced negotiators to those who are about to foray into the challenging world of water negotiations.