Monday, September 16, 2013

Watersheds

September 16—Explain the concept of a watershed.  Which watershed do we live in?  Why is it important to monitor the quality of our local water shed?  What are the benefits our community gets from its watershed?


A watershed is defined as the area of land that catches precipitation (ex: rain and snow) and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake, ocean or groundwater. Watersheds can be on a very large scale or a very small scale. Watersheds provide a powerful study and management unit which integrates ecological, geographical, geological, and cultural aspects of the land. 

We are part of the Elm Fork Trinity Watershed.  

map that locates the watershed in the statecloseup map of watershed area

Monitoring is necessary to ensure that our waters can continue to support the many different ways we use these resources and to track whether protection and restoration measures are working. The information gained from monitoring helps with prioritizing the issues to be addressed and choosing the geographic areas in which to concentrate, helping to ensure cost-effective water-resource management.  Any pollution of the water can be tracked down immediately as well and a warning can  be sent out to citizens, stopping a problem efficiently instead of not noticing any problems for a long time. 

Counties involving our watershed: 
  • Collin
  • Cooke
  • Dallas
  • Denton
  • Grayson
  • Montague
  • Tarrant
  • Wise
Benefits of Watersheds:
  • Protecting drinking water quality
  • Maintaining property values
  • Preventing erosion and sedimentation problems
  • Sustaining valuable resources, such as timber and crop lands
  • Preserving quality wildlife habitat--upland, wetland, and aquatic
  • Providing places for recreation and tourism

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