The enactment of ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991) provided a new way for all levels of government to work together to solve transportation problems on a regional basis. It was built on three basic principles: systematic coordination of land use and transportation planning; local flexibility to comply with federal program requirements; and meaningful citizen participation in the decision-making process. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute held a briefing to examine the need for incorporating these principles into federal water policies and programs.

The discussion was initiated by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Chairman of the House Livable Communities Task Force, who introduced a "Sense of the Congress" resolution calling on federal agencies to use ISTEA principles to work with communities to solve watershed-wide problems. According to Blumenauer, the U.S. historically has approached water problems as distinct engineering challenges, treating rivers and watersheds as machines. This piecemeal approach has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, he says, yet our communities continue to face increasing flood risk and forty percent of U.S. waters fail to meet our drinking water, recreation or aquatic habitat needs. Over half the wetlands in the continental U.S. are gone - greatly decreasing the natural capacity to fight floods and cleanse water. The fishing industry's 1.5 million jobs are threatened, and urban sprawl is constraining our ability to find enough clean water to meet the needs of metropolitan areas.

In introducing his resolution, Blumenauer said this inefficient piecemeal approach has caused water funding needs to outstrip the limited federal, state and local funds available, and has hampered local and state government efforts to deal with watershed problems that transcend political boundaries. In addition, inflexible federal regulations and grant and loan programs have prevented state and local governments from employing innovative strategies to address their needs in a cheaper, "greener" manner. Blumenauer believes that his Water ISTEA approach will force federal agencies to think more broadly and comprehensively about how they can work with communities throughout the watershed cycle and allow localities to be more creative in how they meet their water challenges.

The other briefing panelists discussed recent research and their experiences on the link between land use and water resources, including specific local and regional examples.

Pixie Hamilton, staff hydrologist for the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA), United States Geological Survey, discussed regional and national trends in water quality and how their research information developed by NAWQA can help local, state and regional groups in the planning and implementation of water resource management and protection policies and strategies.

Joe Carter, chairman, Winyah Bay Focus Area Task Force, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, described how this private/public partnership has forged a coalition between community organizations and state and federal agencies to protect the Winyah Bay coastal area from unplanned development and urban sprawl through voluntary means. The locally led task force formulates action plans and the government agencies provide financial and technical support. Since its inception in 1971, the partnership has proven very effective in dealing with unplanned development and sprawl, having protected 87,000 acres of land, including critical wetlands and upland habitat, within a few miles of the heavily commercialized Myrtle Beach area.

Rebecca Wodder, president, American Rivers, discussed her organization’s report on the Nation’s Most Endangered Rivers, which identified sprawl as one of the most pervasive and menacing threats to face the nation’s rivers in years. She cited specific examples from the report to illustrate how sprawl has contributed to the degradation of rivers and inflicted hardships on communities along their banks. She also discussed what federal, state and local governments can do to reverse this process.