Watershed Management
A watershed is an area of land that drains into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, sea or ocean. The watershed includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water, as well as the land surfaces from which water runs off. Watersheds are separated from adjacent watersheds by high points, such as hills or slopes.
Since upstream conditions affect downstream waters it is reasonable to consider entire watersheds when conducting water protection and restoration efforts. This is the idea behind the watershed management approach. Most NYSDEC water quality programs (e.g., monitoring and assessment, discharge permitting, stormwater and other nonpoint source controls, etc) are implemented on a watershed basis.
Links to additional information about the watershed management approach and various watershed management tools are available at the left and at the bottom of this page. Outlined below are specific watershed areas with information about their water quality management activities.
More about Watershed Management:
- Watershed Stewardship - A partnership to protect our water resources
- Owasco Lake Watershed Management - Water quality Management Activities in the Owasco Lake Watershed.
- Watershed Geographic Information Technology - Comprehensive and up-to-date geographic information on and relating to New York State's waters
- Legend Information For Watershed Matrix And Maps - Watershed map list of terms, symbols and their explanations
