What is a Watershed?
Watersheds are nature's boundaries. A watershed is the geographic area consisting of all land that water flows across, under and through on its way to a particular body of water.
And we all live in one.
On the edge of a watershed are the landscape's ridgelines, mountains, and hills. If a raindrop falls on the east side of the Continental Divide, it may end up in the Mississippi River. But if it falls just a foot to the west, it travels a different path entirely-one that leads towards the Pacific Ocean.
Everything we do impacts our watershed. Land and water uses from any part of the watershed -- such as polluted run-off from farms, forests, ranches, and cities -- eventually affect the health of the whole watershed.
Each one of us can make a difference within our own watershed. One crucial step towards improving your watershed's health is to find out your "watershed address." To determine which watershed you live in visit the EPA's Surf Your Watershed website.
