在没有所有权和权力的情况下，有许多方法可以影响上游活动，即使在大流域也是如此。建立伙伴关系和向利益相关者和社区提供有关各种问题的准确信息是在没有授权和花费大量资金的情况下提供影响力的两种重要方式。最重要的是，需要确定上游利益相关者关心的各种问题，并向他们提供特定于他们和您的需求的信息。 地方组织及其成员有时可以更有效地提高地方官员的意识，影响地方行动和变革。因此，向上游组织提供支持并与它们建立伙伴关系，可以在不需要大量资金购买和管理土地或建设各种BMP的情况下，开发持久且富有成效的水源保护效益。这些努力的重点是利用当地的努力、倡议和将用于上游流域保护的资金，为下游供水提供最有效的保护。 最后，应根据水质影响产生的地区及其影响的程度来分配保护工作的重点。通常，大多数保护工作都位于取水点附近，但如果必要，可以在100英里以外。关键不在于保护整个流域，而在于保护供水至关重要的部分，以及合作伙伴愿意支持这些努力的地方。

There are many ways to influence upstream activities without ownership and authority, even in large watersheds. Building partnerships and providing accurate information about various issues to stakeholders and communities are two important ways to provide influence without authority and spending large amounts of money. Most importantly, one needs to identify the various issues that upstream stakeholders are concerned about and provide them information specific to their needs and your needs. Local organizations and their members can sometimes be more effective at raising the awareness of local officials and influencing local action and change. Therefore, providing support to upstream organizations and building partnerships with them can develop lasting and productive source water protection benefits without requiring extensive monies to purchase and manage lands or build various BMPs. The emphasis of these efforts becomes leveraging local efforts, initiatives, and monies that are going to be spent on watershed protection upstream into efforts that will provide the most effective protection for water supply downstream. Finally, emphasis on protection efforts should be allocated based on the areas that water quality influences originate and the amount of influence by them. Typically most protection efforts are located near the point of water withdrawal, but can be over 100 miles away, if necessary. The key is not to protect the entire watershed, but only the portions that are critical to protecting the water supply and where partners are willing to support these efforts.