Urban Waters Federal Partnership Vision, Mission and Principles


Vision, Mission, and Principles
OUR VISION
Through our partnership, we will revitalize urban waters and the
communities that surround them, transforming overlooked assets
into treasured centerpieces and drivers off urban revival.
THE NEED IS CLEAR
The "Urban Waters Federal Partnership" will help urban and
metropolitan areas, particularly those that are under-served or
economically distressed, connect with their waterways and work to
improve them. This federal partnership will put communities first.
We will work to break down government program silos and to ensure
that our collective efforts will reverse past neglect, energize existing
programs, and engage new partners. We will listen to, engage
and serve the communities where we work, ensuring they are full
partners in restoring and protecting the water that surrounds them.
We will establish strong partnerships with effective community-
based organizations and local government officials to make the most
effective use of economic incentives and other beneficial actions.
With the right set of federal, state, and local tools and the local
commitment of political wili, the Federal Partnership will leverage
existing neighborhood assets. These actions will be geared to
promote early and visible victories to fuel long-term action. Success
will advance the missions of our partnership, our agencies, and the
federal government as a whole.
Many of our nation's urban rivers, streams, lakes, forests and
wetlands are polluted, degraded or inaccessible. The surrounding
communities often are not reaping the environmental, economic and
social benefits that living near a water body can provide.
Research demonstrates that a clean, safe, accessible, urban
environment - including urban forests, gardens, parks, lakes,
aquifers, and rivers - is directly linked to improved public health,
stronger local economies, and lower crime rates.
We believe a deeper connection to local water bodies can bring a
new cycle of community hope and energy that will lead to healthier
urban waters, improved public health, strengthened local businesses,
and new jobs, as well as expanded educational, recreational, housing,
and social opportunities.
OUR MISSION
FINAL NATIONAL STRATEGIC WORKPLAN
2016-201 8 • 7.26,16
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES
To guide our work, we will:
Promote clean urban waters. We must enhance the value and health of urban waters, recognizing
their rich history, spiritual value, natural beauty, and economic and recreational potential, as well as
their role in basic services, such as water supplies. We know clean water is a foundation for sustainable
communities and healthy ecosystems, and that the watershed is the fundamental planning unit for water
quality protection. That means the Federal Partnership will work with urban communities to connect them
to upstream areas including rural parts of the watersheds, where the large majority of our country's water
originates. In addition to addressing the direct challenges presented by physically, chemically and biologically
degraded urban waters, we will engage these communities in the broader process of enhancing the value
and quality of water resources supplying urban areas using approaches to protect, manage and restore the
lands that surround those waters.
Reconnect people to their waterways. Many communities do not have access to their urban waterways.
This cuts them off from a valuable community asset. These assets can be used to spur commercial,
recreational (such as parks, green spaces and cultural centers) and educational opportunities. Indeed,
the reconnection of distressed communities to their waterways can act as a catalyst for greater economic
revitalization and growth as well as improvement in resident well-being.
Water conservation. We shall strive to meet urban water needs in a sustainable manner by increasing
the efficiency of water use. The Federal Partnership therefore will strive to educate and work with urban
communities to conserve this precious resource. We will increase efforts to address infrastructure needs,
especially in underserved urban areas where modernization of aging and inefficient infrastructure can lead to
significant water savings. We believe conserving water and using it wisely will be fundamental to our success.
Use urban water systems as a way to promote economic revitalization and prosperity. Healthy
and accessible urban waters enhance any area's economic competitiveness. In urban communities, water-
related environmental improvements will be integrated with other community priorities, such as revitalizing
local businesses, creating jobs, and improving access to job training. Community revitalization through the
promotion of clean urban waters must minimize displacement of existing residents, expand opportunities
for current and new residents, and fully tap into the potential of the local and regional communities. To
achieve these objectives when working locally, the Federal Partnership will particularly focus on revitalizing
communities that are, or have been, disproportionately impacted by pollution or economic burdens.
Encourage community improvements through active partnerships. Strong multi-agency partnerships
at the federal, state, local levels, and with the tribes, will integrate many of the services needed for
community revitalization. Aligning federal policies and funding will break down traditional silos, remove
barriers to collaboration, and increase the accountability and effectiveness to plan and act for future growth.
These goals will also be achieved through innovative regional collaboration and approaches that connect
policies and programs at every level of government and across multiple sectors.
Be open and honest, and listening to the communities is the best way to engage them. We will
work with urban populations, not act for them. This means, among other things, to recognize their values
and seek to understand environmental issues through their eyes. We will work from the bottom up rather
than taking a top down, one-size-fits-all approach.
Focus on measuring results and evaluation will fuel future success. We need short-term
improvements, but also an analytical view toward sustainable and systemic improvements we can measure
using meaningful outcome measures. We will invest and focus our resources on what is working in targeted
places and draw on the compounding effect of well-coordinated action. By evaluating conditions to design
better solutions and monitoring progress to respond quickly when change is needed, we will learn what
works to develop best practices.
FINAL NATIONAL STRATEGIC WORKPLAN
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Federal Agency Seals and Logos
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NATIONAL &
COMMUNITY
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Corporation for National
and Community Service

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National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
&
Economic Development
Administration
U.S. Department
of Commerce
Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of the Army U.S. Department of Education
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U.S. Department of the Interior

FEMA
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
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U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
U.S. Evironmental
Protection Agency
NIEHS
National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences
National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
USDA
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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