Haggerty et al.: Social Memory and Infrastructure Governance

In Social Memory and Infrastructure Governance: A Century in the Life of a Rural Drinking Water System, authors Julia H. Haggerty, Grete Gansauer (both Earth Sciences, Montana State), Jennifer Dunn (History, Montana State), Stephanie Ewing (Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State ), and Elizabeth Metcalf (Society and Conservation, University of Montana) tackle the challenge of “underperforming” rural infrastructure—and small drinking water systems (SDWS) in particular.

Because insufficient or non-compliant SDWSs contribute to unsafe drinking water in many rural communities, the authors argue this infrastructure challenge not only directly impacts human health but presents a critical rural development challenge. They also note that, although federal funding and support is necessary to remedy these water defecits, local development programs and actual local water governance are essential to operationalizing any improvements.

With that context, the paper’s primary contribution is to introduce the concept of “social memory” as a previously overlooked factor in local rural infrastructure governance and development. Social memory, the authors explain, is a “sprawling concept employed in numerous disciplines” that considers, broadly, “past experience and history in the production of shared identities and knowledge.” The authors suggest that “in rural settings with multi-generational residents and long-serving local officials, water infrastructure—as it is lived, used, and managed—generates social memory” and that social memory “in turn, shapes and reflects” present and future infrasturucture choices and investments.

The authors explore the potential role of social memory through an in-depth case study of the rural drinking water challenges in Denton, Montana, over the last 100 years. This paper documents how local leaders in Denton have navigated evolving drinking water policies through through archival records and interviews conducted with regional experts and local informants. Social Memory and Infrastructure Governance then attempts to identify the social memory of Denton’s public water system and explore how this shared understanding has influenced the priorities and values of local water governance by local stakeholders.

In small towns where local governments double as a historical stakeholder network in social memory, infrastructure decisions will track closely with local knowledge and values. Therefore, authors argue that scholars and policymakers must expand their approach to include understanding the social memory of public infrastructure in order to best approach the rural infrastructure deficit. In sum, successful implementation of federal regulations and funding in these spaces will require an appreciation of local experience and knowledge.