Watershed Planning

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is a geographic unit that collects, stores, and releases water. Collected water comes in the form of rain, snow and, in our coastal watersheds, fog. It is stored in lakes, ponds, and subsurface soils and geologic formations. Rivers and streams, as well as groundwater flow, release this water. In addition to these hydrologic functions, watersheds cycle and transfer nutrients and transport sediment. They also provide habitat for terrestrial and aquatic plants animals. For more information on watershed processes, see the UC publication Watershed Function.

Know Your Watershed

There are several interactive online tools that offer maps, data, links to watershed communities and other details specific to your watershed. The websites below allow you to locate your watershed by name or geographical region and obtain a variety of valuable information.

Planning, Assessment & Implementation

Develop a watershed management plan - USEPA offers several Watershed Planning Tools for creating a watershed management plan.
Assess your watershed - The State of California's California Watershed Assessment Manual outlines different methods for evaluating watershed condition.
Join a watershed group - The California Watershed Network has contact information for many active watershed groups throughout California. Links to local watershed groups can also be found on our Partners & Resources page.
Brush up on your lingo - Check out the USGS Water Science Glossary of Terms .

Additional Watershed Information & Resources