If you have a Lessons Learned submission, please email it to CorpsLakes@usace.army.mil
Integrated water management seeks to incorporate the plans, policies, and activities used to protect, maintain, control, and restore water and related resources in a watershed. People differ in their beliefs about how to protect, use, and manage water. Navigation stakeholders want water available to facilitate transportation whereas the recreation community may want to enjoy a reservoir used for water supply storage for lake-based leisure pursuits. Many towns and cities seek to control the flow of water through flood control structures while farmers want water available to irrigate their crops. Competition for the use of water is a given when so many different needs are at work.
There are multiple resources, factors, and players to consider in allocating water. While this increases the complexity of finding solutions that satisfy all interests, by considering multiple factors decision makers are better able to protect the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of aquatic ecosystems while protecting human health, promoting social well-being, and achieving economic growth. Considering multiple objectives provides a means to assess and quantify the availability and condition of the Nation's waters and to think about how water relates to other resources such as land, minerals, and fossil fuels. Watersheds provide an arena for engaging stakeholders with diverse needs in crafting water resource decisions that represent win-win opportunities.
Integrated water resources management has the potential to improve planning for the use of diverse resources by those engaged in major water resource studies and planning efforts or involved in local community groups having a stake in the issues described above. Quite often, project operations provide a direct avenue for Corps participation in watershed affairs. However, collaboration does not happen without work! To help those getting started in watershed activities or who simply want to learn more and understand better what works and doesn't work, this page will relay the experiences of the Corps and our partners as Watershed Lessons Learned. These lessons will include examples that turned out well (there are many!) and those where we encountered difficulties but learned from experience. Lessons learned will facilitate integrating watershed management principles and strategies into the activities of both lake managers and planners.
If you have something you would like to share, please submit it by using the "submit button" feature at the top of this page!
