By Cameron H, Katie and David

Describe a watershed Watershed: A watershed is an area of land where water drains into the same place. Rain snow sleet and hail can also come into the place. Watersheds can be thousands of miles long, it can stretch though entire states and national parks.

Key Features Large Watersheds have more drainage than smaller ones. Another one is that they are separated by mountains, hills or cities. Also the can be slow water sheds in shallow water faster in more. They look like a big bowl.

Why Watersheds are important. Watersheds provide many of us with our drinking water supply, plus recreational opportunities and aesthetic beauty. Watersheds are areas from which water runs into a public water supply. Thus, much of the water you drink from a public source has passed through a watershed. Because of this, it's important that care be taken to minimize any contaminents that may find their way into a public water supply. A small example of a watershed would be the hills around a reservoir. A larger example would be the portions of Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington DC that are designated Chesapeake Bay watershed. Water Sheds A healthy watershed protects the limited freshwater we have to ensure we have clean and safe drinking water. Streams, rivers, and lakes can provide us with many fun outdoor opportunities liking swimming, fishing, and boating. Streams and wetlands can also filter out pollutants that have been washed off developed land, preventing them from entering downstream waters. To learn more about pollutants, visit our Pollution page. Healthy watersheds slow runoff during times of heavy rain minimizing downstream erosion and flooding. Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands also provide essential habitat for fish, reptiles, and amphibians and also play an important role in the life cycles of many insects, mammals and birds.

How are Watershed’s Connected The great lakes are connected to the Gulf of Mexico by the rivers of the Illinois River and the Mississippi River. Another track it takes is the Illinois River to the Mississippi, up the Ohio, and then through the Tennessee Tombigbee waterway to a mobile bay and the Gulf of Mexico. We live in the Rouge River watershed.

Which Watershed We Live In The Rouge Watershed is about 467 square miles. The River itself is 127 miles long, has four main branches. Located in southeastern Michigan, the watershed contains the most densely populated and urbanized land area in the state, including major portions of Detroit. The river empties into the Detroit River which connects Lakes St. Clair and Erie. Much of the river is surrounded by parkland, making it highly accessible to the public