Protecting Drinking Water at the Source
Lessons from United States Watershed Investment Programs
by , , , , and -Watershed investment programs offer promising pathways to securing safe drinking water. But what does it take to establish and grow a successful watershed investment program? Program investors and practitioners are looking for guidance and ideas on how to build a program that works for their own context.
This report addresses this need by compiling experiences and lessons from 13 watershed investment programs from across the United States. Based on a 3-year comparative case study analysis, it serves as a roadmap to guide utilities and communities as they work together to protect precious source waters.
Key Findings
Executive Summary
Watershed investment programs aim to sustain the supply of clean and safe water to communities by funding the conservation and restoration of lands that protect water quantity and quality. These programs connect downstream water users (such as water utilities, municipal governments, businesses, and the public) to upstream landowners (such as private forest owners and public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service). They unite drinking water utilities, rural landowners, government agencies, conservation organizations, and others around the goal of providing safe drinking water through sustainably managed watersheds.