Watershed (noun) - A drainage basin of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, wetland or ocean. The Brodhead Creek Regional Authority (BCRA) obtains its water for the most part from the Brodhead watershed. However the "area of contribution" for BCRA and the area of land that makes up the Brodhead watershed are not exactly the same. 

The important part to remember about a watershed is that it is a drainage basin. Each watershed drains into another watershed. If a pollutant gets into the water in Paradise township it will travel past BCRA's facility in East Stroudsburg and then to the Delaware River. If a pollutant gets into the water in Barrett township it will flow to Paradise township, then past BCRA's facility then on to the Delaware River. You get the idea.

Watershed water travels great distances. A large portion of PA is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Chesapeake Bay is about 400 miles from central PA). A major problem in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is nutrient rich rainwater runoff from PA farmlands. Fertilizer can be disastrous in a body of water. Nutrients cause algae blooms. Algae blooms use up all the dissolved oxygen in water killing all the aquatic life. This is why we ask people to go easy on the lawn and garden products!

Do you know the name of your local watershed? Follow this link to the EPA website and type in your zip code under Step 2 to find out!