The Rural Water Grassroots Source Water Protection initiative is hard at work in 48 states across the U.S.

The source water program encourages local water and waste water systems and to participate more aggressively in the development and implementation of local and regional source water protection plans. Land use decisions and zoning enforcement are done at the local government level.

The source water concept involves the use of Rural Water source specialist who are well versed in the steps necessary to design and implement a watershed protection program but who also have the confidence and support of local government officials. They work in priority watersheds in every state.

This type of initiative ensures an effective management effort that is bottom-up, driven by local citizen's concerns and guided by sound data and information. When local communities take responsibility for protecting their environment/natural resources - they do it more effectively and economically than a top-down regulatory approach. This was the conclusion of the National Research Councils report, “New Strategies for America's Watersheds”.

"Watershed management has been a top-down process, but this approach has led to numerous barriers to effective citizen involvement and use of locally developed knowledge. A truly effective watershed management effort is most likely to be a bottom up process, driven largely by citizen concerns about local problems guided by sound data and information state and local governments to assume substantial rights and responsibilities for watershed management."