Watershed
A watershed is an area of land upon which rain or snowmelt drain into a common river, lake, stream or other body of water.
Image credit: Lower Dupage River Watershed Coalition
How Does A Watershed Work?
When precipitation falls to the Earth, gravity helps guide it to the lowest possible point, which is often a stream. Streams lead to rivers, and in this way a drop of water from your driveway could end up all the way in the ocean! The journey that water takes is not always on the surface though – more often it occurs below our feet through the migration of groundwater.
Watersheds are defined not by political borders but rather by natural high-points in the land that determine the direction of water flow. Watersheds can range in size from a few square miles for small streams to over thousands of square miles for larger bodies of water. An area of land can also be within multiple watersheds at once.
For example, Harrisburg PA is both within the Susquehanna River Watershed and within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, since one drains into the other. To learn about which watershed you live in, use River Runner, a virtual tool that maps the journey of a drop of water through your local watershed!​
But why should we care about the quality of water in our watershed? Because we get our drinking water from local water sources! What you do in your yard, on your street, or in your neighborhood has a direct impact on local water quality. Stormwater runoff from our roofs, driveways, and streets enters storm drains that lead directly to our local streams and rivers.
This means that human pollutants like motor oil, yard fertilizer, pet waste and more wash downstream into our local bodies of water. The more our drinking water sources are polluted, the more money it costs taxpayers to treat that water. Aside from human uses like swimming, fishing, and drinking, stormwater pollution also threatens the wildlife that depend on our waterways for survival. To learn more about stormwater, check out our stormwater 101 page here.
How You Can Protect Your Local Watershed
​One of the greatest sources of pollution in our creeks, streams, and rivers is stormwater runoff. One of the best ways you can help protect your local watershed is by preventing stormwater from leaving your property. There are several ways that you can do this.
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​You can harvest rainwater with a rain barrel or other collection system for use in your yard. You can help water infiltrate into the ground by planting a rain garden or redirecting your downspouts away from impervious surfaces. Or, you can collect and slowly release the water, allowing it to evaporate with tools like downspout planters.
Another great way to help your watershed is planting more native trees, shrubs, and plants. Native plants act like a sponge for stormwater, helping it infiltrate into the soil while also filtering out pollutants. In addition, native plants help support pollinators and other local wildlife.
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Here at Growing Greener Communities, we are helping protect our water one homeowner at a time! Are you ready to learn more? Check out our Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) page to learn how you can take action to protect our water.