July 20th, 2018 
knowtheflow 
All water is local. Water can be found nearly everywhere around the world. But the water that’s in your community is the most important water in the world.
The Master Water Stewards program is a volunteer education and outreach program designed to equip citizens with the knowledge and skills needed to help improve water quality within a community.
Stewards are certified by participating in a broad training curriculum led by experts in the fields of hydrology, stormwater management, water policy, community-based social marketing, landscape assessment, and installation of clean water practices. Classes run from mid-October to mid-April each year but applications are accepted year round. Stewards are sponsored by their local water management organization or municipality and attend classes with a cohort of other prospective Stewards in their region. Participating partner organizations in Anoka County are the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization and the Rice Creek Watershed District.
Map of impaired waters in Anoka County
At the end of the certification process, all Stewards complete a capstone project in community leadership and outreach. Stewards then become a point of knowledge and influence in their communities.
Master Water Stewards are volunteering their time for watershed districts and environmental groups, participating in city and local government boards, influencing policy, and changing the health of our waters. The first Stewards have had dramatic impacts on the quality of their community’s local water resources (masterwaterstewards.org/by-the-numbers).
The Master Water Steward program was developed by Freshwater Society in 2013. Interested volunteers are encouraged to contact the Freshwater Society (masterwaterstewards.org/contact-us) for more information about the program.
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