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Communities of Interest and the Negotiation of Watershed Management

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Pathways for Getting to Better Water Quality: The Citizen Effect

Abstract

The New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed in January 1997 was an extraordinary accomplishment. Some have called this unprecedented agreement “the legal equivalent of a Hoover Dam.” The MOA represents a special kind of accomplishment in community development – the creation of a “watershed community of interest.” This community is described in the MOA as “shar[ing] the common goal of protecting and enhancing the environmental integrity of the Watershed and the social and economic vitality of the Watershed communities.” The MOA was signed by approximately 40 upstate towns and villages, environmental groups, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New York State, and New York City (NYC). The agreement serves as a blueprint for NYC’s watershed management strategy for water sources west of the Hudson River. It cost approximately one billion dollars over 10 years. Figure 9.1 displays a map of the watershed and highlights some of its prominent features.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University, 267 Roberts Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Max J. Pfeffer

Authors
  1. Max J. Pfeffer
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  2. Linda P. Wagenet
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Correspondence to Max J. Pfeffer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, 317C East Hall, Ames, 50056, USA

    Lois Wright Morton

  2. Iowa State University, 132 Curtis Hall, Ames, 50010, Iowa, USA

    Susan S. Brown

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Pfeffer, M.J., Wagenet, L.P. (2011). Communities of Interest and the Negotiation of Watershed Management. In: Wright Morton, L., Brown, S. (eds) Pathways for Getting to Better Water Quality: The Citizen Effect. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7282-8_9

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