Watershed Management EES 321

Delineating Your Watershed Project

James Bryan

Eastern Connecticut State University

Professor Carlson

June 7, 2019

1. Hydrologic Unit in Which I Live: 01100001The main rivers within this hydrologic unit are the Five Mile River and the Quinebaug River, as well as stretches of river labeled “Unnamed RF1” (USGS Science in your Watershed, 2018).

Figure 1. This is Hydrologic Unit 01100001 with bold outline. The Quinebaug River and Five Mile River are the two major rivers within the Unit. The Map was retrieved from the United States Geological Survey “Science in your Watershed” webpage (USGS Science in your Watershed, 2018).

2. Local Watershed Map and Characteristics

Figure 2. The Map and Chart below are of my local watershed and the particular characteristics of the area regarding elevation, precipitation, etc. both obtained from United States Geological Survey “StreamStats” webpage (USGS StreamStats, n.d.)

DRNAREA Area that drains to a point on a stream 2.28 square miles

ELEV Mean Basin Elevation 192 feet

MAPM Mean Annual Precip Basin Average 48.26 inches

LC11IMP Average percentage of impervious area determined from NLCD 2011 impervious dataset

5.25 percent

SOILPERM Average Soil Permeability 6.167 inches per hour

WETLAND Percentage of Wetlands 10.3 percent

STRMTOT total length of all mapped streams (1:24,000-scale) in the basin

5.18 miles

News Article

Hydrologic Unit 01100001-

Most people in the United States today do not think twice about where their water comes

from. In comparison to other countries around the globe, water is a plentiful resource here in the

United States. We seem to take it for granted at the state and local level and even as a country.

We use it for cooking, cleaning, bathing, drinking, recreation, industry and for many other uses.

Therefore we must stop and think, where does our water come from? The water we use on a

daily basis comes from a watershed. What is a watershed you may ask, well it is a particular

geographical region where land masses are contoured to allow precipitation to trickle down into

rivers and streams (NOAA, 2017). Plainfield Residents just so happen to live in the area of the

Quinebaug River Watershed. The United States Geological Survey has labeled this geographical

area as Hydrologic Unit 01100001 (USGS Science in your Watershed, 2018). Therefore, here in

Plainfield, most precipitation flows down into the Quinebaug River (Randall, Thomas, Thomas,

Baker, 1966). The Quinebaug River has proven its potential for utilization as a water source

throughout time. As the Quinebaug River flows through Plainfield and surrounding towns it

supplies many residents with water for drinking and daily use via wells. However, one’s ability

to use the water source varies depending on their location and several other factors (Randall,

Thomas, Thomas, Baker, 1966). The availability of water in my specific geographical location is

outlined in the map on the previous page (Figure 2. Local Watershed Map and Characteristics)

along with several statistics regarding a few factors. These factors include elevation, the amount

of precipitation in a given period of time, geographical features such as wetlands, and length and

flow of the river (USGS StreamStats, n.d.). First of all, elevation plays a key role as it is the

driving force of flow for precipitation. The reason should be obvious, as precipitation hits the

ground it goes downhill, therefore an area with higher elevation allows for rain to flow down to

an area at a lower elevation, most often into the surrounding area of a river and into the river.

The amount of precipitation that occurs over a specific period of time also plays a key factor in

water availability in portions of river and branching streams that support household wells in

surrounding areas, potentially displaying effects of drought when there is little to no rainfall.

Lastly, the length and flow of a water source such as the Quinebaug River is critical as the longer

the river and stronger the flow, the more people that it can potentially support. The Quinebaug

River has supported our region through several decades and it is my belief that it will continue to

do so. If you are interested in researching your immediate area at the state or local level to see

the characteristics of your watershed and where your water comes from, you can access the

United States Geological Survey StreamStats website. All you have to do is use the interactive

map to zoom in on your area and use the tools provided on the drop down menu to discover

particular characteristics and size of your watershed (USGS StreamStats, n.d.).

Works Cited

Randall, A., Thomas, M., Thomas, C., Baker, J. (1966) Water Resources Inventory of Connecticut Part I Quinebaug River Basin. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved June 7, 2019,

from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ctwrb/0008/report.pdf

US Department of Commerce. (2017, November 30). What is a Watershed? Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/watershed.html

United States Geological Survey. (n.d.) StreamStats. Retrieved June 7, 2019 from https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/

United States Geological Survey. 2018. Science in your Watershed/Locate your Watershed. Retrieved June 7, 2019 from https://water.usgs.gov/wsc/map_index.html