You Are Standing in One Right Now
A watershed is all of the land that sends its water to the same place. That includes rain and runoff moving across the surface as well as water soaking down into the ground below.
A noted 19th-century explorer and geographer described a watershed as a naturally bounded water system in which every living thing is tied together by a shared watercourse, and where people who settled along it were drawn, almost by common sense, into a single community.
Scientists have written plenty of complicated definitions, but the idea is easy to picture. Water runs downhill and gathers in creeks, rivers and lakes, and the whole area that drains toward them forms the watershed. Unlike a county line or a congressional district, it is a boundary drawn by nature itself.
Ridges and high ground usually separate neighboring watersheds. Large ones can be divided into smaller subwatersheds, drainage areas and basins. Keep in mind that a watershed is more than its streams: it also takes in the soil, the trees, the groundwater and everything else on the land.
Watersheds vary widely in size and shape, and they ignore county, state and even national borders. Wherever you happen to be, you are inside one.
Why Your Watershed Matters
Our watersheds are where we live, work and spend our free time. Every one of us relies on water and other natural resources, and the way people use the land affects both how much water is available and how clean it stays.
A healthy watershed supports a healthy environment and a strong economy. Watersheds supply water to homes, farms and industry. Lakes and streams also draw people who love to boat, fish, swim or simply enjoy the scenery, and wildlife depends on them for food and shelter.
Why You Should Care
Each of us lives upstream or downstream of somebody else. Whatever happens on your property flows on to the neighbors below you, and whatever happens upstream flows on to you. Every parcel in a watershed is connected to every other one, so knowing where you sit in yours matters for your quality of life.
Signs of a healthy watershed include:
- Clean water
- Plants that hold the soil in place and keep erosion in check
- Abundant, diverse fish and wildlife
- A reduced risk of devastating wildfires
When a watershed is in good shape, everyone living in it benefits. Careful stewardship can keep a healthy watershed thriving, improve it further or help a damaged one recover.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers additional watershed education resources online.
Watershed Signs
The city has posted watershed signs in Fredville's major subwatersheds. The signs help residents recognize which watershed they live in, and they also meet a requirement of the city's MS4 stormwater permit issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Learn more about the city's stormwater program.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.