Water policy and economic incentives are the ultimate drivers of water use and its protection. Water research must include these and other human dimensions to provide realistic science and practical solutions to today’s problems. SNR research in water and society includes:

• development of sustainable societies in the Great Plains
• how communities respond to drought and other water-related stress
• policies for improving and protecting water resources
• ways to resolve disputes in water supplies
• how residents of a watershed value surface water and groundwater