Today much remains to be done to attain an integrated approach to managing water and watershed resources. The lack of communication and coordination among research, community and government entities is problematic. We have much to learn about natural processes at the watershed level and how human activities might affect these. The term watershed refers to the land surface that drains water and other materials to a common outlet The concept of Integrated Watershed Management refers to a systems-based, coordinated, multidisciplinary, adaptive and iterative process that takes into account available natural resources (e.g., water, habitats and biodiversity, etc) and identifies the needs and priorities of the stakeholders within a watershed (including ecosystems) with the goal of meeting human needs while protecting the integrity of natural systems (1).
Sources: (1) Heathcote I. W. 1998. Integrated Watershed Management: Principles and Practice. 1st ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
By Prof. Oscar Romo on February 17, 2011 at 07:51 AM
By Sean Kriletich on January 13, 2011 at 09:04 AM
By Hiram Sarabia on May 16, 2010 at 07:16 PM
UN Website: Water and Cities: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/water_cities.shtml
In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, said in an interview that despite many successes since the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the nation’s water does not meet public health goals, and enforcement of water pollution is unacceptably low (1). In support of this statement, a national study conducted in 2002 reported that 45% of streams, 47% of lakes, and 32% of estuaries in the United States were not clean enough to support uses such as fishing and swimming (2). After three decades of environmental policy driven by the Clean Water Act, there clearly are gaps in identifying sources of pollution and in enforcement of fines and other punishment for known polluting entities. Consider the above facts in light of the reality that the USA is one of the richest nations on earth. The situation is even more problematic in many other countries around the world—developed and developing countries. There is some concern that issues surrounding water supply and quality will be the source of rising tensions within and between nations.
1) New York Times. 12 September 2009. Clean Water laws are neglected, at a cost in suffering.
(2) The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Assessment Database.
The EPA has a funding opportunity to lessen negative impacts on water quality and supply. What is interesting now is the way in which government agencies are beginning to allow greater flexibility in how one might go about proactively confronting problems. For instance in the case of water, the EPA’s call for proposals below says the link to pollution prevention can be a direct link such as reduction in air emissions from a more efficient engine design, or an indirect link such as water conservation approaches that reduce the energy needed to supply clean drinking water and thereby result in reduced air emissions.(Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2011-P3-Q4 – Water).
Call for research concerning water
includes research relating to causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction and elimination of water pollution; research on the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems for the maintenance of the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the systems; or research to ensure provision of a dependable safe supply of drinking water, including methods to treat raw water for drinking, improvements in water purification and distribution, and protection of underground water sources of public water systems).
Water Footprint Network:
The WFN’s mission is to promote the transition towards sustainable, fair and efficient use of fresh water resources worldwide by:
Learn more at: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WFN-mission
Water posts on YES: http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/water
YES! reframes the biggest problems of our time in terms of their solutions. Online and in print, we outline a path forward with in-depth analysis, tools for citizen engagement, and stories about real people working for a better world.
In a Review of the Proposed Revisions to the Federal (USA) Principles and Guidelines Water Resources Planning Document, the following list of challenges are noted in a draft doucment. The draft was prepared by the Committee on Improving Principles and Guidelines for Federal Water Resources Project Planning; National Research Council.
Prominent issues and challenges in today’s national water planning context includes:
• Integrating floodplain management, risk management, public safety, and ecosystem values;
• Aging water control infrastructure and port and inland navigation facilities in many areas;
• Accommodating diverse stakeholder preferences in operational decisions;
• Integrating social and cultural values into technical aspects of water project decision making;
• Rapid population growth and increasing water demands;
• Increasing demand for water resource projects with diminishing ability to fund, as evidenced by the backlog of authorized but unfunded projects.
• Reallocating water resources to new uses, including ecosystem restoration;
• Water quality, especially nonpoint source pollution;
• Extreme climate events and changing climate conditions;
• Fulfilling legal obligations to protect endangered species while simultaneously meeting demands of traditional water users.There also is a need to better integrate federal programs, and federal-state-local programs, in addressing some of these challenges. Source
Posted by Keith Pezzoli on June 11, 2011 at 04:22 PM
Posted by Keith Pezzoli on June 11, 2011 at 07:32 AM
Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 06, 2011 at 11:10 AM
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Posted by Keith Pezzoli on November 05, 2010 at 01:50 PM
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Posted by Keith Pezzoli on September 21, 2010 at 05:00 PM
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Tree People video: Capture the Rain and Rebuild the Economy: It Can Happen Here! http://youtu.be/oxhYSbgwNcY
This fun animation shows how reconnecting trees to our city's watersheds is one of the fastest ways to create lasting jobs while rebuilding local economies and preparing our communities to thrive and survive increasing threats of severe weather.
For an illustration of these principles in action see: http://youtu.be/bwcK8IWawY0