What is a Watershed? Can we store water in it, like one of those big water towers we see on the side of the road? Is it a shed that is full of water bottles? Not quite. A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall into a single larger body of water. We all live in a watershed and use this water for drinking, recreation, and even business. Annually, nearly $500 billion in food products and tourism depends on clean water and healthy watersheds. Watersheds can be large or small. The largest watersheds in the United States cover many states and drain into oceans. In fact, your backyard and home are in a watershed. Watershed boundaries are natural and constructed features that direct where water flows. Hills and ridges are natural boundaries. Rain falling on one side of the hill flows in one direction, while rain falling on the other side of the hill will flow in another. Both ultimately fall into their respective watersheds. It is normal for watersheds to cross the borders of counties, states, or even countries. Wherever a watershed may be located, our environment, economy, and our society ALL depend on a healthy watershed. Some believe only a body of water such as creeks, rivers, and lakes, are part of their watershed; however, this is far from the truth. A watershed is ALL of the land. Whether it is a park, forest, farm, parking lot, or even the land you built your home on—it all drains into the same body of water. Each drop of water that falls on the land is channeled into the soil, groundwater, creeks, and streams making their way to larger rivers and ultimately the ocean. You can look at it as a funnel collecting all the water within a specific area and draining into the nearest body of water. Nonpoint source pollution is the largest cause of water pollution and the biggest threat to the health of our watersheds. Rainfall, snowmelt, and other precipitation fall on the land and flow downstream into lakes, rivers, or streams. As the water moves, it carries away natural and human made pollutants from parking lots, roads, yards, fields, and construction sites. This harms the quality of our watershed and others downstream. Our own watershed, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, is 64,000 square miles with 11,684 miles of shoreline, one of the largest in North America. Over 18 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and about 75% of those people get their drinking water from
here. The Chesapeake Bay’s watershed spans across parts of six states from New York to Virginia including the District of Columbia. Other major cities in the Bay’s watershed include Baltimore, Annapolis, Richmond, Norfolk, Charlottesville, and Cooperstown; with a land-towater ratio of 14:1. Remember a watershed is more than just the water around us, it is the air we breathe and the places where we live, work, and play. We share it with wildlife, fish, birds, and plants. Because of how important the watershed is to all living things we need to become more mindful of our actions and look for ways we can help keep our waterways clean. Simple examples include keeping storm drains clear of debris, disposing of litter properly, and picking up trash whenever we see it. You may even consider organizing a “Cleanup” in your local neighborhood or park. So remember to do your part. Together we can make a difference in the quality of our very own watershed. Written by: Elisabeth Kirk, EBP Director of Marketing & Business Development, TRC Engineering ekirk@trc-engineering.com 410-707-2421
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