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Aquifers | AQUATICS SAMPLE TEST.pdf
Water Budget | Hydrologic Cycle | Water Molecule | What is a Watershed | Drainage Patterns | Stream Order and Stream Types
Competing Uses of Water | Water Pollution | Wetlands | Pond and Lake Ecosystem | Riparian Areas | Laws Protecting Water | Stream Assessment Protocols | Acid Rain | Drinking Water | Watershed Delineation | Source Water | Aquatic Invertebrates | Stormwater | Hydraulic Fracking
Aquifers | AQUATICS SAMPLE TEST.pdf
A watershed is the area of land that catches rain and snow that then drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater. Homes, farms, ranches, forests, small towns, big cities, and more can make up watersheds. Some cross county, State, and even international borders. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are millions of square miles; others are just a few acres. Just as creeks drain into rivers, watersheds are nearly always part of a larger watershed.

Have you ever wondered where rain goes when it falls? Stop sometime and watch a stream or river flowing by - does it end up in our drinking water? What things keep water clean in nature and in the water we drink? The land areas filter water naturally as it passes through on the surface or into ground water.
Waterbasins and watersheds are two ways that we classify water boundary units. Waterbasins are large land areas that are drained by a major river system. Watersheds are smaller land areas that are defined as the area that is drained by one stream or river. In order to collect background information on your watershed, you will probably want to get out in the field and take water quality measurements. You will first need to delineate the watershed boundaries.
1)Use a topographic map to locate the river, lake, stream, wetland, or other waterbodies of interest.






7) Connect the break points with a line following the highest elevations in the area. The completed line represents the boundary of the watershed.



Additional Information:
WV Watersheds: http://dep.wv.gov/WWE/getinvolved/sos/Pages/Watersheds.aspx
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