WHAT IS A WATERSHED?

A watershed is an area of land that catches a drop of precipitation.  All of the rain and snow within a watershed flows into a central stream, river, lake, or marsh.  Watersheds usually are separated from each other by high points.  A watershed boundary is a place where a water drop on one side flows in one direction, but a drop on the other side flows the other way.

WHY ARE WATERSHEDS IMPORTANT?

If we follow a drop of water on its journey from the high point down to the river or lake, it has many opportunities to be changed.  Some water drops soak into the ground near where they fall and become part of the underground or groundwater that feeds plants and trees.  Other drops of water flow through parking lots, farm fields, construction sites and backyards where they may pick up soil, fertilizer, pesticides, oil and gasoline, and any other contaminant that they happen to come in contact with.  Along its way, a drop of water may pass through several different environments so that it has many opportunities to pick up contaminants.  At the end of its' journey, the drop flows into the river or lake.  The water quality of these rivers and lakes is negatively impacted by all of the contaminants that are delivered along with the water.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

The adverse environmental effects of changing land use in our cities and towns have resulted in degraded water quality.  Many of these changes result in supplying excess nutrients, sediments, and other contaminants into our water bodies.  Reducing the size and number of wetlands also increases flooding, removes critical habitat for wildlife, and eliminates opportunities for filtering contaminants.  Currently, the number one water pollution problem is from nonpoint source pollution.  Nonpoint source pollution is caused by sources such as soil running off of the land from construction, fertilizer runoff from lawns and farm fields, failing septic systems and cars leaking oil.  Citizens, land planners, and elected officials can all work together to make our water cleaner through master planning and zoning ordinances that protect our natural resources. 

Residents are an integral part of the watershed and what you do in your backyard makes a difference.  Here are some examples of what you can do at home:

•Reduce impervious surfaces by using pavers or bricks rather than concrete for a driveway or sidewalk.

•Divert rain from paved surfaces onto grass to permit gradual infiltration.

•Landscape with the environment in mind. Choose the appropriate plants, shrubs, and trees for the soil in your yard; don’t select plants that need a lot of watering (which increases surface runoff), fertilizers or pesticides.

•Maintain your car properly so that motor oil, brake linings, anti-freeze, and other fluids don’t contribute to water pollution.

•Keep storm water clean. Never dump litter, motor oil, animal waste, or leaves into storm drains, catch basin, or waterways.

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By protecting your Watershed, you are protecting your drinking water

WATERSHED LINKS AND RESOURCES

Adopt a Watershed  
http://www.adopt-a-watershed.org/

Know Your Watershed
Purdue University 
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/glossary/whatisaws.html

Science in Your Watershed
United States Geological Survey 
http://water.usgs.gov/wsc/

Surf Your Watershed
United States Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/surf/

Terra Server
Aerial Photography 
http://www.terraserver.com/

Upper White River Watershed Alliance 
http://www.whiteriveralliance.org

Veolia Water Indianapolis
http://www.indianapoliswater.com

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A Snapshot of Indianapolis' Watersheds

The Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) and Veolia Water Indianapolis LLC are working to improve the quality of Indianapolis water even before it gets to the water treatment plants.  CEES and Veolia research scientists are working in Eagle Creek Watershed, Cicero Creek Watershed, and Fall Creek Watershed.--We Need Your Help!--Understanding the land use practices and issues affecting your watershed will better allow you and other residents to help protect water resources.  Joining your local watershed association or creating one where an association does not currently exist will enable you and other residents to contribute to improving the local land and water. 

Eagle Creek Watershed drains a 162 square-mile area of land covering Hamilton, Boone, Hendricks and Marion Counties.  The receiving body of water is Eagle Creek Reservoir, which is used for drinking water and recreation.  Eagle Creek Park, which is the fourth largest city-owned park in the country, surrounds the reservoir.  The watershed contains ten subwatersheds and eight major tributaries.  The predominant three forms of land cover in the Eagle Creek Watershed are agriculture, grassland, and forest. Land use changes from 1985 to 2000 show an increase in high and low density developments such as strip malls, parking lots, and housing additions.  Together they account for 4.5% of watershed acreage.  Agriculture accounts for 52% of land use in the watershed.  Forests have decreased by 23% to only 9% of the watershed.  Wetland acreage has decreased slightly.

Additional information for Eagle Creek Watershed - CIWRP

Cicero Creek Watershed drains 227 mi² covering Tipton, Hamilton, Boone, and Clinton Counties.  The watershed of Cicero Creek is a bit unusual for Indiana with headwaters starting in Boone County and flowing north east before turning to flow south toward the receiving water body of  Morse Reservoir in Noblesville.  The watershed upstream of the reservoir is made up of 11 smaller subwatersheds. The reservoir is formed from the damming of Cicero Creek, which flows through the reservoir.  Cicero Creek flows from the reservoir at the southern tip and empties into the White River, approximately 4.8 miles downstream.  The watershed land use is dominated by agriculture with small patches of developed land occurring mostly in and around Morse Reservoir and the towns of Tipton, Arcadia, Cicero and Sheridan.

Additional information for Cicero Creek Watershed - CIWRP

Fall Creek Watershed drains an area of  318 mi² covering Henry, Delaware, Madison, Hamilton, and Hancock Counties.  The receiving water body for the watershed is Geist Reservoir. The watershed upstream of the reservoir can be divided into 15 smaller sub-watersheds.   Both rural and urban hydrology influence the watershed.  Nearly 60% of the land use in the watershed is agriculture.  Developed areas in the watershed are highest in the north-central part of the watershed, where the city of Anderson is located, and in the lower and middle portions of Geist Reservoir where continued development is occurring.

Additional information for Fall Creek Watershed - CIWRP