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Greater Milwaukeee Watersheds |
What is a Watershed? |
Watershed Approach
What you should know |
Which Watershed do you live in?
Everyone eats, sleeps, works and goes to school in a watershed. Nearly
everything you do impacts the quality of water in your watershed!
So, what are watersheds?
Watersheds are areas of land where rain and melting snow flow through to reach
nearby streams, rivers or lakes. A watershed can be a small area or a tract of
land that covers several thousand square miles. Either way, it’s a dynamic
place comprised of natural resources – water, plants, animals, soil and
air – that need to be protected.
Who cares about watersheds?
You may wonder why watersheds are important to you. Well, people play
crucial roles in the continuing health and revitalization of any watershed.
After all, watersheds provide water for drinking, industrial use and farm
irrigation, as well as for boating, fishing and swimming. While each are
unique, all watersheds have two things in common: they each gather water
and transport it to rivers and lakes; and as that water moves over the
terrain, it collects pollutants from your automobile or lawn, which
eventually end up in our waterways or groundwater.
Proper watershed management and planning are key elements in improving
water quality. We need to look at the BIG picture to help preserve our
precious water resources.
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