In mid-January, the Source Water Collaborative — a group of 25 national organizations united in protecting America’s drinking water at the source — released a new online toolkit.

The guide helps to “facilitate partnerships to protect drinking water sources through agriculture, conservation practices, stormwater and forest management.” With the toolkit, users can obtain guidance on working with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and learn how to build partnerships with conservation district staff. The intended audience ranges from those with no experience working with NRCS and conservation districts, to those who would like to build more successful relationships. The step-by-step tool was developed with extensive input from members of the Source Water Collaborative, NRCS, and the National Association of Conservation Districts.