<p>Stream water pollution has been a major concern for numerous stakeholders in water resource management. Stream water is one of the least well-managed resources, despite its importance in ecosystem stability and socioeconomic development. In addition to becoming a major concern for those who utilize streams, the issue of polluted stream water has also been shown to be a barrier to effective management of these resources. This study examined the potential for effective utilization of stream water resources as well as the historical analysis of stream water protection regulations. Using a web-based search engine, 412 peer-reviewed journals were sourced from the internet. The study utilized keywords, acronyms, titles, and expressions to source relevant data from the internet. The articles that met the inclusion criteria studied stream water protection and prospects for sustainable management and bioresources protection. A total of 126 articles that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved following a thorough screening and selection process. The review chronicled stream water protection concepts and examined prospects and challenges for effective strategies for sustainable management of stream waters for bio-resource protection and functional ecosystems. This study identified zero liquid discharge, driver pressure state impacts response, standardization of maximum permissible limits, and watershed management as panaceas for sustainable stream water management for the twenty-first century economy.</p>