By Saundra McBrearty, Outreach and Volunteer Specialist
“Any river is really the summation of the whole valley. To think of it as nothing but water is to ignore the greater part.” -Hal Borland, This Hill, This Valley
“World of Water” is Preservation Park’s 2019 education theme, which means we have an exciting year of programs, events, and summer displays which focus on water. Let’s take this moment to learn about water flowing in and around Delaware County, and the landscape that makes up our local watershed.
What is a watershed? In basic terms, a watershed, or basin, is all the land that drains to the same body of water, such as a lake or river. Smaller watersheds become part of larger watersheds, as streams feed rivers, and rivers flow into oceans. This means wherever you are and wherever you go, you are in a watershed. The Olentangy watershed, for example, is part of the Scioto River basin, which drains to the Ohio River. The Ohio River flows into the Mississippi, which makes its way south to the Gulf of Mexico.
Everyone lives in a watershed, but unlike states and counties, watersheds have natural boundaries defined by the shape of the land and the flow of water. You know your county, and you know your city, but do you know your watershed address?
Click here to find your watershed address
A watershed address consists of an 8-digit sequence of numbers called HUC8, which stands for Hydrological Unit Code. The number identifies a water feature like a river, lake, or watershed. Various watersheds and advocacy groups, like Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) and Olentangy Watershed Alliance (OWA) exist in Delaware County and beyond.
Activities occurring here in central Ohio have a direct effect on the quality of water in all bodies of water that are downstream. Unhealthy activities in a watershed make for an unhealthy river, just as cleanup projects in one area help to enhance the health of others.
Preservation Parks is actively involved in supporting high water quality and protecting stream and river corridors in Delaware County. Through wetland restoration projects, the purchase of property along Alum Creek and the Olentangy River, as well as prairie and woodland establishment to help decrease erosion, we are committed to the protection and conservation of the watershed throughout the region. So join us in 2019 for a variety of programs focused on the importance of aquatic habitats and learn how you can help conserve these precious natural resources.
