Protecting The Watersheds

532 Words3 Pages
Watersheds are affecting local water flora and fauna, also they are frequently affecting drinking water for communities. It's more of a challenge these days to make water clean and clear, as pollution from development, fertilizers and pesticides, soil from erosion, manure from farms and waste from birds, deer, horses and pets are washed from the watershed. The watershed serves as a buffer to reduce the amount of those pollutants reaching the source of drinking water. That's why we ask you to treat the watershed with respect. While we all love the beauty and opportunities offered by the watershed, they cannot interfere with its main purpose - to protect the quality of our drinking water sources. That's why we close the watershed during the wetter winter months when there is less foliage and ground cover to reduce erosion and run-off. Watersheds provide many of us with our drinking water supply, plus recreational opportunities and aesthetic beauty. Unfortunately, the replacement of vegetation by impervious surfaces like roads, parking lots and rooftops has a negative impact on watersheds. This increases the velocity and amount of runoff flowing into surface waters and causes erosion, turbidity and degraded wildlife habitats. Not only that, but this runoff carries pollutants such as oil, bacteria, nutrients, sediment and metals into surface waters along with it. Forested areas play a very important role in the health of a watershed. The plant cover and leaf litter absorb moisture and help maintain soil structure, while root masses keep soil permeable and stable so moisture can move into it for storage. This is more desirable, because it allows water to be filtered and released slowly into the stream system rather than rapidly running overland. Watershed-based approaches have become a prominent tool in the management of our nation's natural resources. So
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