Waterkeeper Alliance connects and supports local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide. To champion clean water and strong communities, Waterkeeper Alliance:
1. Supports and empowers member Waterkeeper organizations to protect communities, ecosystems and water quality;
2. Promotes the Waterkeeper model for watershed protection worldwide; and
3. Advocates for issues common to Waterkeeper programs.

Each Waterkeeper program reflects the needs of the waterbody and community it represents. The common thread for each Waterkeeper program is a full-time person who serves as the Waterkeeper, the public advocate for that body of water.

Waterkeepers are part investigator, scientist, lawyer, and advocate. Think of a Waterkeeper’s “clients” as all the users of the watershed for which the Waterkeeper advocates. A successful advocate has a diverse bag of tools that allows her or him as the Waterkeeper to get the job done. All Waterkeepers also have a boat ranging in size from canoes to research vessels, but sometimes a pair of hip boots is more important than a boat. Sometimes a legal brief is more important than either. Each waterbody has its own unique challenges requiring a distinct and well-defined strategy.