By focusing on activities in the entire area that drains to a waterbody, watershed management programs take a holistic approach to protecting streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. As such, watershed management programs often require inter-jurisdictional cooperation, as well as cooperation among government agencies and among governments, businesses, developers, and citizens.

Watershed management programs include land use planning, regulation of development, control of water pollution, stream buffer protection and stream restoration, and outreach and education. Watershed management considers all sources of pollution in a watershed, including spills and leaks, factories, and stormwater runoff from urban and agricultural areas. In an urban area stormwater is the main source of pollution to local streams.