ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights issues related to the planning and implementation of public participation programs. The basic purpose of public participation is to promote productive use of inputs and perceptions from private citizens and public interest groups in order to improve the quality of environmental decision-making. This type of decision-making can be associated with the selection of aquifer restoration strategies in a given geographical area. The chapter provides background information on public participation problems and constraints, delineating objectives for public participation, identification of publics, techniques of public participation, conflict management and resolution, and practical suggestions for implementation of a public participation program. The identification of publics which would potentially be involved in the various stages of the decision-making process is another basic element in the development of a public participation program. There are several ways of categorizing various publics that might be involved in a public participation program for an aquifer restoration project.
