Watersheds

What is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that drains into a particular stream, lake, or other body of water. Watersheds are sometimes called “basins” or “drainage basins.” We all live in a watershed. Some watersheds, like that of a stream or creek, are small. Others, like the Chesapeake Bay watershed, are large.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans more than 64,000 square miles. It encompasses parts of six states—Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia—and the entire District of Columbia. More than 18 million people call the Bay watershed home. The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary meaning it is a body of water where fresh and salt water mix. It is the largest of more than 100 estuaries in the United States and third largest in the world. The Bay receives about half its water volume from the Atlantic Ocean in the form of saltwater. The other half (freshwater) drains into the Bay from the enormous 64,000-square-mile watershed. The Susquehanna River is the Bay’s largest tributary, and contributes about half of the Bay’s freshwater. This is why our actions on land have such a big impact on the Bay’s health.

Natural water systems are one of our most valuable resources.  Efforts to restore, protect, and maintain the county’s waterways are facilitated by the Conservation District’s Watershed Department.  The Watershed Department is a resource to both the public and private sectors, providing technical, informational, and organizational assistance that will improve watershed organization development and the quality and quantity of the Commonwealth’s surface and groundwater resources.  The focus of this work relates to watershed assessment and monitoring, procurement of funding, technical assistance, education and outreach, and the creation, implementation and coordination of work plans and strategies to restore and protect groundwater and surface water resources.