These guidelines may constrain the percent of project funds that can be expended in urban areas, limit the scope of water supply benefits that can be considered, or specify standard remedial measures. Some are based on obsolete concerns and others do not recognize the evolution of state, tribal, and local expertise, or the opportunity and value of innovation. Flexibility to use unique and equal alternatives stimulates local commitment of resources and ownership. The authority of the decision making body or collective decision making bodies must match the scale of the watershed. The management of water and related resources is best handled at the local level with all interests represented.
Local leaders know the social, political, and physical landscape.
They have the authority, enthusiasm, and the most at risk. Organizations for larger watersheds should deal with aggregations or nested hierarchies of smaller watersheds. More encompassing organizations can best handle the difficult tasks of coordination, establishing standards, or resolving local differences. Federal agencies can provide the necessary support to facilitate interaction and coordination between scales in this informal organizational network. Federal agencies should also support and participate in the planning for interstate or basin scale watersheds.