The client, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR), is required by statute state laws to develop a State Water Resources Plan every ten years to properly plan for the future. Even though it is a requirement, the client and CDM Smith agree on the importance of a comprehensive assessment of the state’s water demands and the need for a robust list of recommendations to continue meeting those demands for years to come. Deputy Director of Missouri Department of Natural Resources Dru Buntin says, “The importance of water to the life of the state cannot be overstated. Water is vital for agricultural, industry, commerce, drinking water supply, transportation, recreation, and wildlife.” CDM Smith initially developed a comprehensive report that consisted of more than one thousand pages of technical analysis. Afterwards, Quentin Smith (Graphic Designer), Sue Morea (Technical Director), Mark McCluskey (CDM Smith Project Manager), and Michael Weller (MoDNR Project Manager) worked to condense the original report into a 47-page executive summary. The summary was then further condensed into an eight-page brochure for the general public and elected officials. The result was a visually appealing, easy-to-read document that conveys how the State of Missouri will effectively meet the demand of its water source for the next forty years.
The executive summary helps to clearly communicate essential details of the original plan to stakeholders in a shortened format, encouraging readers to dive into the details—including 19 recommendations, options to meet future water needs, as well as an evaluation of future scenarios. As a result, the MoDNR has a comprehensive assessment of supply and demand across multiple sectors through the year 2060.
Given the plan is setting the stage for forty years of effective water planning, there was a tremendous amount of interest in its development. Consequently, the plan was stakeholder-driven, allowing many voices to be heard and integrating appropriate commentary into the document. In addition, the document is gleaming with multiple location and industry specific photographs provided by the client.
By collaborating on the Water Resources Plan, CDM Smith and the MoDNR benefit greatly. Even though CDM Smith has provided water resource plans for a multitude of clients over the years, this is the first one to feature scenario planning to assist with the outlook of a range of possible futures. The MoDNR now owns a robust plan to help them meet the water demands across the state for the next forty years. Also, by developing this plan, the firm helps the client fulfill the state statue requirement.
Engineering reports are generally text heavy with very little graphical elements. Consequently, they can be difficult to read, especially for the average non-technical stakeholder. Therefore, it was a goal of the team to create the executive summary in such a way that its readers will want to read every page. To accomplish this, location-specific photographs were included throughout the document, technical text was converted to be more reader friendly, and the layout was structured to allow for ease of reading while also eliminating large blocks of text.
