A water-environmental performance assessment tool: the case of a Brazilian river basin

Environmental indicators are widely applied to assess regional sustainability and inform local decision-making beyond economic dimensions. Nonetheless, such indicators often fail to align with the specific informational needs of key stakeholders, particularly local governments, whose engagement in regional decision processes is frequently limited. This study proposes a performance assessment tool based on a composite index method to monitor water management in watershed regions – areas essential for sustaining both ecosystems and local economies. Data were collected via a structured survey integrating multiple water-environmental variables into a single index. The tool was applied through a case study involving 70 local governments in Brazil's Piracicaba, Capivari, and Jundiaí river basin. Findings indicate that larger municipalities possess superior operational capacity, funding, and resources to implement environmental assessments. Conversely, smaller governments often lack access to relevant environmental data or face resource constraints that hinder the use of indicators. As a result, decision-making in these municipalities may rely on insufficient or misaligned information, compromising the effectiveness of both strategic and operational policies related to water management.