Aims and Objectives

Living River Principles

The gift of a relationship to water is a historic public good and a natural right that was compromised during the last century. The recovery of water quality, natural riverbanks, public access, and recreational ueses of our regional rivers and streams is good for the economy and our communities. It is an investment in the future.

• All citizens should be able to have a direct relationship to water.
• All rivers and streams should meet the water quality standard for swimming.
• Rivers and streams should support an increasing diversity of plant and wildlife.
• Each community should monitor and care for water quality in rivers and streams.
• Upstream community water problems should not impact downstream communities.
• Water problems should be solved at the source, addressing cause, not effect.
• Public rights to waterways and wetlands should not be compromised by private interests.
• Wetlands and streams should be treated as economic and ecological assets.
• Wetlands and streams should not be lost, and should be restored where possible.
• Public access to and from the water, and along the water's edge, should be restored.
• Riverbanks should be preserved or restored to their natural form wherever possible.
• Pre-industrial connections between water and communities should be restored.
• Redevelopment should accommodate public access to water and riverbanks.
• Redevelopment should restore community, culture, ecology and economy.