The greatest opportunity to affect change across the watershed lies in the protection of critical natural assets. These assets, also known as natural green infrastructure, include wetlands, forests, and floodplains. In the landscape, these assets function to treat water pollution, recharge groundwater supplies, protect communities from flooding, clean air, and lessen climate change impacts. State and local regulations, incentive programs that facilitate conservation, and investments in the restoration of these ecosystems are the most important and impactful solutions for both watershed and public health.

Human and animal waste pollution is severely limiting recreation and economic development opportunities and threatening public health. While large-scale efforts are ongoing to lessen combined sewer overflows, many other more diffuse sources of waste need attention. Solutions can be implemented by ordinance or incentive. They include the use of natural buffers along streams and stormwater ponds to help trap and treat polluted runoff from farms and urban landscapes, fencing livestock out of streams, deploying manure management systems, investing in septic system education, maintenance, inspections, enforcement, and increasing access to sewer connections.

Community health reflects watershed health. Poor environmental burden grades represent the impacts that land use, environmental policy, and pollution prevention strategies have on people. Reducing this burden requires our efforts to address lead exposure, remediate brownfields, and lessen air pollution. Solutions include investments in renewable energy sources, public transportation and bike/pedestrian infrastructure, and emission reduction strategies in collaboration with industry partners.