Evolving Methodology for Rating Watershed Sustainability Part II: Moving Toward Application and Implementation

This present study is the second paper in the authors' attempt to focus the knowledge gained to date on assessing the sustainability of an entire watershed. Inherent in these discussions is the concept that nature's resources should only be used at a rate at which they can be safely replenished naturally, to enable future generations to meet their own needs. It may now be possible to apply certification to an entire watershed. This paper series shows steps in this direction and addresses how a foundation might be established for a subsequent certification process. This paper expands and amplifies WEF's Technical Practice Update (TPU) and the previous paper. This proposed rating methodology rates watershed sustainability by combining the elements noted above. This paper discusses methods such as a Delphi survey, the Sustainable Sites Initiative, Canadian Water Sustainability Index, and Hydrology, Environment, Life, and Policy (HELP).