Water alerts continued to receive notice throughout 2012. Both drought and flooding topped the nation’s headlines. My Top Water Wishes for the New Year include a quick look back at some of the important water stories that streamed our network this past year.

Top Ten Water Wishes for 2013:

#10: Wishing that our nation increasingly recognize the importance of water to our economy. >more

#9: Wishing that the U.S. Clean Water Act be kept strong for future generations. >more

#8: Wishing that impacts to water quality become increasingly expensive for polluters, motivating use of more sustainable practices by government and private industry. >more

#7: Wishing that restoration efforts consider long-term and holistic management strategies. >more

#6: Wishing that solid restoration science become the industry standard and public monies no longer are spent on sure-to-fail projects. >more

#5: Wishing that the U.S. invest in green infrastructure in order to improve and protect drinking water quality. >more

#4: Wishing that the use of expensive, damaging riprap be eliminated and replaced by strategies that actually help restore our waterways. >more

#3: Wishing that the intentional dumping of poison into U.S. waterways (especially into our most pristine headwaters) comes to a long-overdue end. >more

#2: Wishing that policy makers, land owners and resource managers focus their investments on our increasingly precious ground and surface water resources. >more

#1: Wishing that water users increase their conservation efforts so that environmental flows may be returned to our rivers. >more