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 interactionWatershed 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 interactionWatershed 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