What's A Watershed?

A watershed is the total area of land that drains to a particular stream, river or lake. Each watershed is separated from other watersheds by high points in the terrain, such as hills and ridges. A watershed includes not only the water body or waterway itself, but also the entire land area that drains into it, including uplands covered by farms, forests, homes and businesses that may be some distance from the water. A watershed may be very small, like the drainage formed by your driveway, or very large, like the drainage basin of the Delaware River.

When it rains, stormwater washes off the roads, bridges, parking lots, lawns, construction sites, and farm fields in a watershed and travels to the nearest stream or lake. Rainwater that percolates into the ground recharges the aquifers we use for drinking water. Everything that happens to the land within a watershed affects the quality and quantity of our local water, including our drinking supply.

In Gloucester County there are eight watersheds, seven of which drain to the Delaware River or Bay and one that flows directly to the Atlantic Ocean. We all live within a watershed.

Importance of the Watershed Approach
Watershed boundaries are formed by land features that create the drainage patterns in the area. They are not defined by municipal borders or by ownership lines. The land use decisions made by individuals and communities within a watershed have a cumulative effect on the entire area. In addition:

• We all need clean water. Pollutants released anywhere in the watershed may eventually find their way into our water supply.
• In southern New Jersey we have a diversity of plant and animal life, including endangered and threatened species, that depend on a healthy watershed.
• Loss of wetlands in a watershed contributes to soil erosion, sedimentation and flooding
• Our waterways provide recreation for people who enjoy fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and wildlife
• Many of South Jersey's watersheds are still rural. Others are within easy reach of farms and green open spaces - a reason why many people live here. Development pressure within South Jersey has become intense, with farmland and open space being lost. Great demands are also place on groundwater supplies.

A watershed is a natural ecological unit. It is valuable to view our communities within the watershed framework because land and water features of the environment are so interrelated. Understanding those connections and their relationship to our own well-being is a major focus of a watershed association such as the South Jersey Land and Water Trust.