Frequently Asked Questions
Do I live in a watershed?
Yes! No matter where you live, you're in a watershed.
What is a watershed?
A watershed is the land area over which water flows into a river, lake, or
reservoir. Watersheds are surrounded by ridgelines forming boundaries and
separating one watershed from another. A large basin, such as the Great Lakes,
contains thousands of smaller watersheds.
I live in the city. What can I do to improve the water quality of the
river?
- Limit pesticide and fertilizer use.
- Dispose of hazardous wastes properly.
- Clean up after your pet and dispose of waste properly.
- Create a rain garden.
- Use porous building materials.
- Conserve water.
- Wash your car on the grass, not the street.
- Volunteer water monitoring.
What's the biggest polluter of our local rivers?
Sediment. Sediment is soil, sand and minerals washed from land into
waterways. This sediment then accumulates and settles to the bottom of the
water. The sediment affects aquatic life and increases the growth of algae. Soil
erosion and sediment resulting from poor construction, logging, landscaping and
agricultural practices cause physical changes in rivers that can lead to
decreased water quality.
Where does my drinking water come from?
For the citizens of Fort Wayne and New Haven, Indiana, their drinking water
comes from the St. Joseph River and is filtered through the Three Rivers Water
Filtration Plant. Drinking water in other areas may come from both surface water
and ground water. Surface water includes rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Ground
water is pumped from wells which tap into aquifers. An aquifer is the natural
reservoir under the earth's surface. Replenishment of surface and ground water
comes from rain and melted snow. It's important to think about not only the part
of the river or lake you can see, but the entire watershed. Activities many
miles away from you may affect the quality of the water you see everyday. For
more information
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/where.html
What is a HUC?
Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) is your watershed address. It is important to
your watershed address to understand the influences on the water quality in your
stream or waterway. Hydrologic units represent the geographic boundaries of
water as it flows across the landscape. Each HUC has an associated number or
code which is representative of the size of the basin. Larger basins are
represented by smaller numbers. Indiana is divided into 39 watersheds at the
8-digit level. Each of these watersheds can also be divided into smaller
sub-watersheds which are represented by 11-digit numbers, and even smaller units
with 14-digit numbers. To find your watershed, visit "Surf Your Watershed" at
http://www.epa.gov/surf/
|
