What is a Watershed?
What is a Watershed?
Source: NOAA
A watershed is where "Land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams and rivers and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays and the ocean" (NOAA, 2021). Water hits the ground from rain or snow and soaks into the soil. It then slowly moves into streams and rivers. Some of the water goes deeper while others avoid being infiltrated deeper into the soil. This means it will flows straight over the ground. When the ground is extremely hard, like clay soil, the water will flow straight across ground and take the "fast lane" straight into a river (NOAA, 2021). Along with the water that flows in or over the ground, pollutants flow into the river and streams. This leaves larger bodies of water open to issues from these pollutants and sediment flows. Watersheds generally flow from the highest points to the lowest points and then into rivers and then larger bodies of water (such as in the map below of the Little Calumet River, Eastern Branch).
Watersheds are important because they provide essential services for people and other species around and in the watershed (DES, 2020). Watersheds provide stable soil for rivers and other water source and cleans the water as it flows through before it reaches the larger bodies of water. Watersheds provide protection of shores and other areas from flooding. Waterbodies, that are drained from the different areas of the watershed, are important for a water source, recreational use, food sources and aesthetic purposes (DES, 2020).
Reference
Department of Environmental Services (DES). (2020). Why watersheds are important to protect. New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/2020-01/wmb-19.pdf
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). (2021). What is a watershed. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/watershed.html
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