Should Watershed Management Professionals be Certified?

• Published in: Water resources impact Vol. 1; no. 4; pp. 2 - 3
• Main Author: Ditschman, E P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Water Resources Association 01-07-1999
• ISSN: 1522-3175; 2573-2900

While watershed management is not a new concept to natural resource and environmental management, it is within this decade that it has come of age as a major paradigm for water resources remediation and protection. Watershed management brings together science, engineering, policy, and education, in an attempt to alter human behavior to achieve a common vision for a specific water resource. It is an iterative planning process that provides feedback mechanisms for refinement in implementation. It is a process rather than a product. Federal and state agencies are embracing this process as they move beyond command and control approaches to environmental improvements. Local government and citizens are finding the process to be a meaningful way to address local water resource concerns such as flooding, combined sewer overflows, beach closures, water supply, and eutrophication.