Mississippi River Watershed
Did you know that rivers and streams from all or parts of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces drain into the Mississippi RiverThis land area makes up the Mississippi River Watershed, a basin where all streams and rivers drain into the common body of water. It is the largest watershed in the U.S., draining 41 percent of the lower 48 states! Anytime a raindrop falls in Iowa, eastern Montana, or even western Pennsylvania, that raindrop could end up in the Mississippi River – and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
Viewer Tip: One of the easiest ways to protect local water quality, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico is to recycle or properly dispose of household wastes that contain chemicals, such as paints, pesticides, solvents, car fluids, and other products. Never dump these wastes in the trash, outdoors, or in a storm drain, where they can be carried away during the next rain. Instead, visit http://www.cleanup.org/ or call 1-800-CLEANUP to find a household hazardous waste collection site near you.
Where are you in the watershedCheck out the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mississippi River Basin map to find your location in the watershed, compare water quality of your portion of the river to others, and find out how human activities near you are influencing the Gulf of Mexico: www.epa.gov/msbasin/subbasins/index.htm.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
(Source: GulfBase. General Facts about the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.gulfbase.org/facts.php. National Park Service: A Profile of the Mississippi River. http://www.nps.gov/miss/naturescience/profmiss.htm; U.S. EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. “After the Storm.” Available from: http://www.epa.gov/weatherchannel/stormwater.html.)
