What is a Watershed?
How big is the Bay? A watershed is the land area drained by a multitude of streams that flow downhill into a major river or lake or estuary. Watersheds are also called drainage basins. Depending upon where you are in a network of streams draining the landscape (e.g., near the top in the headwaters or at the bottom on the shore of Chesapeake Bay), a watershed can be small (draining only a few acres), or very large (draining thousands of square miles). watershedAnother way to think about a watershed is to imagine a large funnel open to the sky. The funnel is analogous to a watershed, call it Watershed A. Any rain, sleet or snow that falls inside the rim of this funnel belongs to Watershed A. The rim of the funnel is analogous to a watershed boundary. Hence, any rain or sleet or snow that falls outside the rim of this funnel belongs to adjacent watersheds. On the landscape, boundaries between watersheds are usually determined by elevation. Map of targeted Maryland watersheds The Chesapeak
A watershed is an area of land that drains to a common body of water, such as a nearby creek, stream, river or lake. Watersheds vary considerably in size. For example, when it rains, all the water from a small watershed may travel to a local creek. That creek will flow into a larger stream, like Mill Creek, which in turn collects water from an even larger watershed. Mill Creek flows into the Kansas River, which then deposits water into the Missouri River.
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a river, lake, stream, pond, or other body of water. It includes the waterway itself and the entire land area that drains into it. For example, the watershed of a lake includes any streams emptying into the lake and the land area that drains into those streams. A watershed can be small, like a backyard puddle, or large, such as Lake Michigan.
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a lake or river. As rainwater and melting snow run downhill, they carry sediment and other materials into our streams, lakes, wetlands and groundwater. Why is your watershed important? We all live in a watershed. Watersheds are the places we call home, where we work and where we play. Everyone relies on water and other natural resources to exist. What you and others do on the land impacts the quality and quantity of water and our other natural resources. Healthy watersheds are vital for a healthy environment and economy. Our watersheds provide water for drinking, irrigation and industry. Many people also enjoy lakes and streams for their beauty and for boating, fishing and swimming. Wildlife also need healthy watersheds for food and shelter. Managing the water and other natural resources is an effective and efficient way to sustain the local economy and environmental health. Scientists and leaders now recognize the best way to protect the
A watershed (also called a drainage basin) is a region of land where water from rain and snowmelt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, wetland, sea, or ocean. A watershed divide is the boundary that physically separates one watershed from another. Precipitation that falls on one side of a divide will drain into one watershed, while precipitation that falls on the other side will drain into a another watershed. Some watersheds are very small — only a few square acres, while others extremely large — millions of square miles. We all live in a watershed, but unlike a political boundary, it is determined by the topography of the earth. People living within a watershed may not share the same congressman, senator, or president, but they do share a common water supply. As a result, development within a watershed impacts everybody. Realizing this, communities are beginning to take a watershed approach to solve environmental problems, organizing themselves along watersh
