A watershed, or drainage basin, is an area of land where all the water falling on that land flows downhill to a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake, or bay.
A watershed is a natural boundary that may cross state, county, or town lines. It is important that all these jurisdictions share responsibility for the health of the whole system.
A watershed like the Chesapeake is made up of portions of 6 states and includes 150 river systems. The Choptank watershed is a sub watershed of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and contains portions of 2 states, 5 counties, and many smaller municipalities.
It is important to remember that we all live in a watershed. The choices we make in the way we live, work, and play influence the streams and rivers around us.
A good watershed analogy is a bath tub. Imagine the rim of the tub as the mountains or hills that separate one watershed from another. The basin of the tub as a valley that collects water and moves it toward the stream or drain outlet. If you put water anywhere within the rim of the tub it will flow downhill through the basin and into the drain.
