Ill. The Ohio River basin is home to almost 10 percent of the U.S. population. Commissions provide a key vehicle for communication and information exchange for communities that share a common watershed, Glotfelty said, but, ironically, many of our regional commissions have suffered from their success. Many times the public and, in some cases the government, isn t aware of the important function of these commissions, she said. Raising public awareness may be very important for the continued success of these organizations. These arrangements bring all the players to the bargaining table and give each the feeling that they gained something, she said.
Commissions serve a very similar role.
ICWP recently drafted a National Water Policy Charter that lays out 10 principles to guide the changing roles of federal, state, regional and local governments in water management. The document, she stated, shares some similarities with the Ecosystem Charter for the Great Lakes-St. An excellent example of principles in action is Ohio s Ashtabula River Partnership, formed in 1993 to develop and implement a comprehensive solution to remediate contaminated sediments in the Ashtabula River Area of Concern. The organization is unique because all federal and state efforts are coordinated and directed by the partnership, according to Kaull. The voluntary, consensus-based organization employs one project coordinator with no federal or state agency affiliation.