Your Watershed Address (Mississippi River)
Watersheds are areas of land in which all water drains into a common body of water. Because water does not obey political boundaries, watershed maps can cross county, state and even national lines. The size of a watershed can vary, but all bodies of water have one. You can think of watersheds like pieces of a puzzle; each one is part of a larger watershed “picture.” The Mississippi River Watershed is made up of several smaller watersheds, including the Missouri River, Arkansas/White River, Red River, Upper Mississippi, Ohio/Tennessee River and Lower Mississippi River Watersheds – all of which are made up of even smaller watersheds. 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: Do you know your watershed address?
- Surf your watershed: Enter your zip code to find out which watershed you live in. http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm
- Explore your watershed: Take a walk or hike in your community and observe which way water travels. Watershed boundaries are usually the highest points of land from which water flows downhill. Where does rain water end up after it hits the ground? Where does your local stream or river lead?
- Adopt your watershed: Become a volunteer water quality monitor or organize a trash cleanup. Learn more: http://www.epa.gov/adopt/.
Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
(Sources: 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, www.epa.gov/adopt)