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This article presents a study of the profiles of the representatives of public authorities and civil society participating in a river basin management committee in the State of São Paulo (Brazil) – the Tietê-Jacaré Committee. The research aims at demonstrating that the social hierarchies involved within the Committee are not exclusively based on the economic interests of the sectors that are represented. They also depend on symbolic dimensions that lead to a differentiation in terms of language and information. In order to achieve this, the study takes into account the education and technical training profile of the members of the Committee since its inception. It also focuses on the effective participation of these members in the main discussions held in the various meetings of this body. Within the routine of the Committee, the cultural capital expressed through scientific and technical knowledge is an important vector of power. It also has a decisive influence on the imposition of legitimate principles of vision and division of the social world and of natural resources in the context of this river basin.