What is
a watershed?
It is an area of land where all water travels
to the lowest point - a river, stream or lake. Water slides down
the sides of the area from the highest point to the bottom of the
watershed, like rain falling in a large bowl or basin. On its way,
the water travels over the land, across fields, forest, lawns and
city streets, or seeps into the soil and travels under ground (called
ground water). It eventually enters the Winooski River, which flows,
into Lake Champlain.
The next time it rains or the snow melts
take a minute to think about the path the water coming from your
home travels.
In our Winooski River Watershed, water flows
from high points like the town of Cabot to the low point, Lake Champlain.
If you took Route 2 from Cabot to Williston or Interstate 89 from
Montpelier to Burlington you could follow the Winooski River as
it travels to Lake Champlain.
Living in a watershed - Do you have a choice?
Not unless you want to live in outer space!
The whole planet is made up of watersheds of all sizes that eventually
enter the world's oceans. The Winooski River Watershed is part of
the larger Lake Champlain Basin, which flows to the St. Lawrence
Seaway and into the Atlantic Ocean.
You are in a watershed - how does
it affect you?
- A faulty septic system in Worcester can
affect people's ability to enjoy a downstream swimming hole in
Middlesex.
- A beaver dam that fails in Cabot can cause
flooding below in Plainfield.
- Soil that runs off a construction site
in Huntington can affect the fishing in Richmond.
We share
the same water.
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When it Rains, Do You Know Where it
Pours?
Storm drains collect the rainfall coming
off pavement. The water drops through metal grates you see along
the street and is carried by a system of underground pipes directly
to a stream or river.
The more pavement and buildings there are,
the less rainwater can seep into the ground and the more water pours
through the storm drains. The result can be flooding, erosion, and
water pollution.
Once that rainwater drops down the grate,
you probably never give a thought to where it goes. If you walk
along the banks of a stream in a city or town right after a storm,
you will see large pipes pouring water into the channel through
this system. Even though you are miles from the river, that gum
wrapper you dropped on the street will be piped directly into a
stream.
The average yearly rainfall in the Winooski
River watershed is 38 inches, although it can be as much as 60 to
70 inches per year in the mountains.
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