Watershed Basics 

Mr. Alexander's Class

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Pollution and Your Watershed

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances often chemicals or contaminate a stream, river, lake, or ocean. &nbsp;waterways such as industrial waste pouring from a factory drain into a river.

Watersheds direct­ly affect water quality whether it's for drinking or recreation for example algae blooms from fertilizer runoff draining into water.

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Authors: Jacobo, Francisco, Bryan, Xavier, Eric.

Watershed&nbsp;directly affect water quality whether it's for drinking or recreation. The&nbsp;pollution&nbsp;water supply that results can become harmful to humans. Aquatic life quickly suffers the effects of&nbsp;watershed pollution while new&nbsp;pollutants introduced into ecosystems.

If untreated, these&nbsp;pollutants&nbsp;wash directly into waterways carried by runoff from rain and snowmelt. These contaminants can infiltrate groundwater and concentrate in streams and rivers, ultimately being carried down the&nbsp;watershed&nbsp;and into  the ocean.

Watershed management&nbsp;describes the use of land forest and water resources in ways that do not harm the plants and animals living there.

Watershed Management

There are three processes within a watershed that can protect&nbsp;water&nbsp;quality if preserved water capture,&nbsp;water&nbsp;storage, and&nbsp;water release.

Water from hundreds, and thousands, of creeks and streams flow from higher ground to rivers that eventually wind up in a larger body of water, As the water flows, It often picks up pollutants, which may effect the watershed and, ultimately, on the bay or ocean where it ends up.

Rain and snow melt from watersheds travel through many Routes to the sea. During heavy rain and snowfall, water may run onto and off of impervious surfaces such as parking lots, buildings, and other structures because it has nowhere else to go.

Condensation - When vapor hits cool air and forms clouds and water droplets. Precipitation - When water droplets fall to the earth. Evaporation- When heat from the sun changes water to water. Head water/source- where rivers start. Water tributary- A small stream or river that flows into a body of water. Mouth- The end of the river where it flows into another body of water. Bay- An intel partially separated from the ocean by land Brackish- A mixture of freshwater and saltwater. Pesticide- Chemicals that are used to kill unwanted insects. Runoff- All the water that runs off the surface of the land into a body of water.

Polluted Watersheds.....................9-10

Glossary ......................................11

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Watershed Management planning is a process that results in a plan or blueprint of how to protect and improve the water quality and so that way it help's the watershed.

Watershed management is the study of the relevant of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating&nbsp;

Innovative Stormwater Management at the Watershed Scale

What are watersheds? Well Watersheds are a land area that channels rainfall and snow melt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, Bays, and the ocean. A drainage basin is any area of land where Precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet, such as into a river, or other body of water. Basically the watershed can be as small as an inland or as big as a county. Fun Fact Everyone lives in a watershed.

What Is A Watershed?

Connors, Tiffany. “How Watersheds Work.” HowStuffWorks, 27 Jan. 2020, science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/watershed2

National Geographic Society. “Watershed.” National Geographic Society, 6 Aug. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/watershed.

“Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know.” NRDC, www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know#:%7E:text=Some%2080%20percent%20of%20the,other%20forms%20of%20violence%20combined. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

“Watershed Management - Overview.” CT.Gov - Connecticut’s Official State Website, portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Water/Watershed-Management/Watershed-Management---Overview#agencySpeceificSearch:%7E:text=Why%20is%20watershed%20management%20important. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

Some Watersheds Encompass thousands of square miles and may contain streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. The biggest watershed in the united states today is the Mississippi River which drains 1.15 million square miles. A&nbsp;watershed&nbsp;is an area of land that drains or sheds water into a specific water body. Some seeps into the ground It goes into underground reservoirs called aquifers. The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers are the two longest rivers in North America, and together form the backbone of the much larger Mississippi watershed that supplies fresh water to a huge portion of the continental United States. Wildlife also need healthy watersheds for food and shelter.

What is a watershed ?

Watersheds!

Watershed management is a term that describes the use of land forest, and water resources in ways that do not harm the plants and animals living there. Watershed management may include goals and processes such as reducing the amount of Pesticides and fertilizers that wash off farm fields and into nearby water bodies.

Why is Watershed Management important well Runoff from rainwater or snow melt can contribute significant amounts of pollution into the river's. That is why it is so important.

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