A watershed is the land that water flows across, under, or through on its way to a stream, river, lake, wetland or other body of water
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PARTS OF A WATERSHED
Divide/Ridgeline
Higher ground separating two
adjacent streams or watersheds.
TributarySmaller rivers or streams that flow into a larger river
or stream.
River drains Into a larger
bodyof water
The watershedis surrounded by a divide, or natural,elevated boundary
This larger bodyof water may
be a bay.
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PARTS OF A WATERSHED
Sediment Materials such as rock fragments & grains that have been transported by wind, water, or glaciers.
Flood PlainFlat, border areas on each side of a river.
Which allows water to spill out / overflow at
times of high flow.The sediment is
carried down stream & settles
out or is deposited into the
bottom of the slower moving
sections of river.
This is the Betsiboka River, Madagascar. Taken
by the Space Shuttle showing the impact of logging . -2002 3
Tributaries that flow into the Chesapeake Bay
Of the 50 major tributaries that feed to the Chesapeake Bay just three deliver almost all the fresh water for the bay.
1. Susquehanna River ~50%2. Potomac River ~ 20%3. James River ~ 15%
*See if you can find them on the next slide!
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Susquehanna River
Potomac River
James River
Major watersheds in Virginia
There are 5 watersheds in Virginia but only 3 major areas where water can flow. 1. Chesapeake Bay2. North Carolina Sound3. Gulf of Mexico
(Mississippi Watershed)
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1. Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Chesapeake Bay
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2. NorthCarolina Sounds Watershed
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3. Gulf of Mexico Watershed
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TH
E L
AR
GES
T W
ATER
SH
ED
IN V
IRG
INIA
Chesapeake Bay Watershed covers 60% of Virginia. -That equals
64.000 square
miles and covers 6 states!!
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Watersheds can be Broken Down into Smaller Watersheds…..
Virginia’s Top 5 smaller watershed’s - James (River)-York (River)-Rappahannock (River)- Potomac/Shenandoah (River)- Atlantic Coastal
See if you can locate them in next slide!!!11
Virginia’s Watersheds
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Potomac River Watershed
Loudoun County
-is part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed System
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Loudoun County Watersheds
Aldie, Virginia
Where does our water flow? Hint it goes south east…..into the ______________ __________. After that the water flows into the Potomac River.
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Watershed Notes…Answers!!!
watershed
ridgeline divide
tributaries
Flood plainsediment
50
1520
16
5
60%
60,000 6
Potomac
BullPotomac
GroundwaterRunoff
Infiltration
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Homework Review1st Map
2nd Map
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/education/sol/va-watersheds-bw.pdf18
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