Everyone lives in a watershed! A watershed is an area of land where water flows to the same major body of water, such as a river, lake, or ocean.
Think of a watershed like a bowl, it is surrounded on all sides by higher land. Since watersheds have higher ground all around them, any water that falls anywhere within the watershed flows to the same low point – like the Bee Branch Creek, which is the low point in the Bee Branch Watershed.
A watershed includes the smaller creeks and streams that flow into its big river. It includes the rain that falls, snow that melts on its land, the water we use on our lawns, and the water that pours on our streets. Some of this water soaks into the ground. Some of this water flows over the land and in streets. And, some flows into the storm drains. But all of it eventually flows into one big river and becomes part of it. In Dubuque, all water eventually flows into the Mississippi River!