Watersheds

Surface Water

• Definition: fresh water on the Earth’s land surface– Is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands

• Types of surface waters are:– River systems

• Mississippi, Amazon, Nile

– Watersheds• Definition: area of land that is drained by a river

– Example: Mississippi Watershed

• Definition - The total land that contributes water (or drains into) a particular waterway.

• Can also be called a "Drainage Basin"

A Watershed

All of the water within the area drains into the central waterway and to a specific point along that waterway.http://www.ugwawv.org/images/watershed_large.jpg

A Watershed

• The drain board under a kitchen sink drying rack is like a watershed.

Watershed or Drainage Basin

The "Dry Dish" Watershed

• Water always follows the path of least resistance.... DOWNHILL!• Water that flows through a

Watershed:-Streams, Creeks, and Rivers-Surface runoff (water across the

land surface)-Groundwater (under the surface)

All three interact with each other!

Go with the Flow

Flow: Streams and Rivers

• Surface Runoff can also be called Overland Flow

Includes over forested land, grassland, and parking lots

Flow: Surface Runoff

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3k4d15i2OAA/TMcWeF0DXzI/AAAAAAAAFtU/tAwW5Z1C9JI/s400/parking+lot+runoff+2.JPG

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNLL3TB1lwMw7XT0cgjqD2Tdk69LGaoMMKXvWPCWAB_rtk4OXaaz63sOa-

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/news/images/lawn.jpg

Under the surface Groundwater is on the move

Flow: Groundwater

http://savethewater.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Maryland-groundwater-diagram-pubs-usgs-gov.jpg

The Water Cycle provides the water to create these three types of flow.

Fuel for the Flow: The Water Cycle

TOPOGRAPHY(Shape of the lands

surface)

Watersheds Land Area

Determines what area will make up a watershed

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca.earth-sciences/files/jpg/h2o/bowen/images/watershed_e.jpg

Low points in a watershed:Stream or river itself, the very bottom

Watershed Topography

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/photos/archive/medium/10211.jpg

Highpoints in a watershed:Hills, Mountains, or ridges surrounding

the waterway.

Watershed Topography

http://www.birdsasart.com/rootjpegs/Mount%20McKinley.jpg

http://mysticsail.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rotui-web.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/4060038327_5088e10425.jpg

The watershed boundary is created by the high points of land surrounding a waterway

Watershed Boundary

http://www.thinkbluemaine.org/images/kids/watershed%20-%20edit.jpg

http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/watershed.jpg

Watershed Boundary

Any water within the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls within the boundary will flow into your waterway

Watershed Boundary

http://www.pedrocreek.org/images/watershed_drawing.gif

Any water OUTSIDE the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls OUTSIDE the boundary will flow into a different waterway is part of a different watershed.

Watershed Boundary

http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/CIV246/changes/watershe.gif

• The watershed boundary is the dividing line between two watersheds• Watershed boundaries are

sometimes called Watershed Divides

Watershed Boundary

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5361417.jpg

Does your favorite stream have a watershed?

Many Watersheds

http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/Newsletter/Summer05/Streams/Flowing%20stream.gif

All waterways, large or small, have a watershed.Waterways always have land surrounding them that drain into them.

Small creek=Small watershed Large Creek=Larger Watershed

waterways flow into one another.small creeks flow into

Large creeks

which flow into

LARGER creeksor a river!

Build up a Waterway

http://www.fgmorph.com/images/04/04_08_01.gif

Watersheds interact with one another too.

Small watersheds make up

Larger Watersheds

which make up

Even LARGER Watersheds

Build up a Watershed

http://epa.gov/gmpo/images/lower_mississippi_map.jpg

Watersheds work on different scales• small creeks have small

watersheds

• large creeks include the watersheds of many small creeks

• rivers include the combined watersheds of many large creeks

Scale

Allegheny River

French Creek

Sugar Creek

Is there any place on land that is not part of a watershed?

No Watersheds Somewhere?

No, Everywhere you stand on the Earth's land surface drains

somewhere, so it is part of a watershed, whether big or small.

• Small watershed?• Big watershed?• Where does

your water flow to?• Which of the

major watersheds in Costa Rica are you in?

What is YOUR Watershed?

• Our Water Cycle The Fuel that Runs the Watershed

Watershed Impacts

http://web.bryant.edu/~langlois/ecology/hydrocyc.gif

Land and waterway interaction

Watershed Impacts (Rural)

http://media.sanluisobispo.com/smedia/2012/03/14/18/30/1dSwQC.MiSt.76.jpg

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/tools/warsss/images/fig32.jpg

What we do on our land affects our waterways

Land and waterway interaction

Watershed Impacts (Urban)

What we do on our land affects our waterways

http://www.twpusc.org/comdev/stormwater/photos/stream21_lg.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Allegheny_River_Pittsburgh.JPG

Land and waterway interaction

Watershed Impacts (Residential)

What we do on our land affects our waterways

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/11/12774549_1f8ae21d9a.jpg

http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2002/06/images/lake_fertilizer.jpg

• We influence our waterway and watershed

Direct Impact on Waterway• Dumping into creek, littering into creek

Impact on Land Surrounding Waterway (Watershed)

• Poor land use decisions

• Disturbing the land without minimal impact

• Contributing to pollution on the land

Watershed Impacts

• We are connected to others downstream• Our waterway flows into other

waterways• Our watershed drains into

other watersheds• Our mess/pollution travels

downstream

Watershed Impacts Downstream

What will YOU do to protect your watershed?

Watershed Impacts