Your Watershed Address (North Atlantic)
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 North Atlantic region encompasses several watersheds, including the Chesapeake Bay, Susquehanna River, Hudson River, Delaware River, Cape Cod, and Gulf of Maine. Anytime a raindrop falls in one of these watersheds, that raindrop could eventually make its way all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.
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: Alles, David L. The Colorado River: An Ecological Case Study in Coupled Human and Natural Systems. Western Washington University. http://fire.biol.wwu.edu/trent/alles/ColoradoRiverIntro.pdf)
