Watershed Basics
An area of land where all water drains to the same river, lake, or stream.
What is a watershed?
Trash, chemicals, or other substances that make water unsafe or unhealthy.
What is pollution?
Planting trees and grasses along streams can help prevent this from entering the water.
What is erosion?
Where the fresh water of a river mixes with the ocean.
What is an estuary?
Much of the worlds fresh water is tied up here.
What is glaciers?
This is the place where two or more streams or rivers come together.
What is a confluence?
Fertilizer containing too much of these nutrients can contribute to algae blooms
What are nitrogen and phosphorus?
Using fewer fertilizers and keeping chemicals away from storm drains can help reduce this
What is water pollution?
The highest points of land often form the boundaries between watersheds.
What are ridges or divides?
This approach looks at the entire area draining to a waterbody rather than addressing only one pollution source.
What is watershed management?
An aquifer is water trapped between to layers that are not this.
What is permeable?
The continuous movement of water between Earth's surface, atmosphere, and underground is called this
What is the water cycle?
Too many nutrients in water can cause algae to grow rapidly and reduce this, harming fish and other aquatic organisms.
What is dissolved oxygen?
The amount of water used to wash a load of laundry in a regular washer.
What is 50 gallons?
Pollution that comes from many scattered sources, such as farms, lawns, and parking lots.
What is nonpoint-source pollution?
Jack and Jill and almost 40 million others rely on these for their water
What is a well?