For the past twenty years, since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, our nation has committed billions of dollars every year to combating water pollution, primarily from industrial and municipal wastewater. Across the nation, however, recent water quality assessment indicate that silt, nutrients, pathogens, and pesticides are still present in unhealthy amounts. In addition, we continue to lose essential habitat for fish and wildlife, such as wetlands. In many cases the loss of aquatic habitat exacerbates the pollution of our waters.

It is clear that a more comprehensive approach is needed to restore and maintain our waters. At EPA, we are adopting watershed protection approaches. That is, we are establishing management mechanisms designed to tailor solutions to the particular problems found in naturally defined geographic areas - watersheds. We emphasize that watershed approaches should be multi-organizational, multi-objective and holistic in nature.

Three key elements are at play in successful watershed approaches. These are: partnership, problem identification, and integrated action. In other words, the people most likely to be concerned or most able to solve problems within the watershed work together to identify the primary threats to human and ecosystem health with the watershed, and then take appropriate actions in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

Watershed protection approaches give us all new opportunities. They provide opportunities to refresh and renew our commitment to the vision of the Clean Water Act - fishable and swimmable waters. They provide opportunities to build a shared understanding of where we are in progress towards that vision. Finally, they provide opportunities for all of us to get involved and take action. Clean water is a basic need. We all rely on it. With good cooperation we can protect it for future generations.