Madison
County Soil & Water Conservation District
182 W. 300 N., Suite
D
Anderson, IN 46012
765-644-4249 Ext. 3
Fax: 765-640-9029
It's the land that
water flows across or under on its way to stream, river, or lake.
The landscape is made up
of many interconnected basins, or watersheds. Within each watershed, all water
runs to the lowest point - a stream, river, or lake. On it's way, water travels
over the surface and across farm fields, forest land, suburban lawns, and
city streets, or it seeps into the soil and travels as groundwater. Large
watersheds like the ones for the Mississippi River, Columbia River, or Chesapeake
Bay are made up of many smaller watersheds across several states.
Are all watersheds
the same?
Not
at all. Watersheds come in many different shapes and sizes and have many different
features. Watersheds can have hills or mountains or be nearly flat. They can
have farmland, rangeland, small towns, and big cities. Parts of your watershed
can be so rough, rocky, or marshy that they're suited only for certain trees,
plants, and wildlife.
Your watershed
community.
Everyone
lives in a watershed. You and everyone in your watershed are part of the watershed
community. The animals, birds, and fish are too. You influence what happens
in your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources - the
soil, water, air, plants, and animals. What happens in your small watershed
also affects the larger watershed downstream.