UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin’s Waterways

Chapter UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways Glacial Lakes and Rivers -Glacial lakes form when blocks of ice, rock and gravel hold back melting ice -Glacial Lake Wisconsin was the largest -It covered much of five counties: 1. Adams 2. Juneau 3. Monroe 4. Sauk 5. Wood -When the ice finally melts, the water rushes out, cutting river valleys and creating rock formations -Most every river in Wisconsin resulted from the melting of Glaciers Page 1

Chapter Page 2 UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways

Chapter Lakes and Wetlands -Lakes in Wisconsin are created one of three ways: 1. Kettles created by glacial movement 2. Basins created by a glacier ’ s weight 3. Manmade -The Great Lakes are an enormous example of this -Stretching about 1,000 miles across the United States, the Great Lakes contain nearly 1/5 of the worlds drinkable water -Lakes that were shallow filled with aquatic vegetation and became known as wetlands Page 3 UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways

Chapter Watersheds -All water (precipitation) drains from the land into the nearest waterway -The area of land that drains into common waterways is referred to as a watershed -Smaller streams, that flow into larger waterways are called tributaries -Large rivers and their tributaries form river systems -All of Wisconsin ’ s watersheds and river systems flow into one of three major waterways 1. The Mississippi River 2. Lake Michigan 3. Lake Superior Page 4 UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways

Chapter Example Watershed Page 5 UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways

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Chapter Wisconsin Has … -860 miles of Great Lakes shoreline Page 7 UNIT #1 Geography Wisconsin Waterways - About 15,000 inland lakes -44,000 miles of rivers and streams -5.3 million acres of wetlands