What is a Watershed?

A watershed is an area where water drains into a common body such as a stream, river, or ocean. The water can come from rain and melting snow or it can come from places like a neighbor watering their lawn or a running faucet in the kitchen. Even if you don't live within sight of a stream or river, the rain that falls on your roof and the water you use in your bathroom eventually runs back to the ocean. Because of the fact that all water is working its way back to the ocean, it means that wherever there is water, there is a watershed. The watershed acts as a basin to catch precipitation which then runs back to the ocean through a drainage network made up of streams and rivers. Watershed boundaries are defined by the hills and valleys, or topography, around a stream or river.