Healthy water systems benefit people and nature.
Healthy lake, stream and wetland ecosystems thrive with diverse aquatic plants and wildlife. When water ecosystems are healthy and in balance, they will support themselves along with recreation and can benefit local businesses. Surface and groundwater protection enables water to be used for drinking and other human needs.
Science-based, data-driven plans are the key to improving water system health.
A scientific approach ensures that the actions taken to improve water system functioning will result in benefits for people and wildlife for generations to come. A scientific approach allows us to adopt best practices to find solutions to problems that are sustainable, both financially and ecologically.
Management planning for healthy water systems merges long-term strategies with short-term solutions.
LONG-TERM: Healthy water ecosystems must be surrounded with healthy, natural landscapes that filter nutrients and pollutants from the water that flows to streams and lakes. This means permanently protecting streams, woodlands and wetlands, planting buffers along shorelines and stream banks, and reforesting portions of the watershed. New development in the watershed needs to be guided by low-impact features and must be offset by restoration of wetlands and forests. Source protection of drinking water is mandatory.
SHORT-TERM: It is crucial that short-term solutions used to address waterway needs, such as plant harvesting, stream bank stabilization, and pesticides, not be short sighted. They must be guided by vetted science and performed in conjunction with long-term goals. They cannot endanger the fish, birds, amphibians, animals and insects that rely on the waterways nor endanger groundwater and must not pose a risk to human use of the water.
The health of water systems is everyone’s responsibility.
Everyone living within a watershed has a stake in the health of its streams, lakes and groundwater. Property owners can stop unnecessary fertilizer use, plant rain gardens and buffers, and re-naturalize their yards to filter nutrients from runoff. Elected officials and community leaders must recognize their responsibility to implement water system improvement projects and provide for on-going, adequate maintenance. Individual financial support of the organizations that have proven to be dedicated to the health of the region’s water systems is needed now more than ever.