WHAT'S IN WATERSHED?

Beneath the watershed concept lies an intricate network of soils, organisms, and nutrient flows. These elements maintain the resilience and productivity of ecosystems, allowing them to support life’s complexity. Recognizing this network’s value ensures that water management is never divorced from the ecological contexts that enable water to sustain robust, thriving biomes.

The substrate, plants, and microbial communities within a watershed naturally filter and purify water. By formally valuing this filtration service, we acknowledge a crucial ecological process that reduces the need for costly technological interventions and safeguards clean water supplies.

In a consensus system, the “reasonable use” of water emerges as a guiding principle. It embodies the idea that human activities—agriculture, industry, urban consumption—must balance their draw on water resources with the ecosystems’ capacity to regenerate and maintain quality over the long term. This ensures that human well-being does not come at the expense of ecological integrity.

Finally, the ultimate goal is the provision of clean, safe water, meeting a fundamental requirement for all life. By integrating water’s ecological, structural, and functional values into our consensus-based frameworks, we support policies and practices that maintain the continuous, reliable flow of life-sustaining water for present and future generations.