Welcome to the City of Denton's

         "Find Your Watershed" Interactive Mapping Page

 

Find Your Watershed Now....Launch Watershed Locator

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater and eventually even to the ocean.  Any area or connected that experiences precipitation of some sort is a watershed.  Watersheds can be small, from acres to hundred or even thousands of square miles.  Watersheds can be subdivided into smaller watersheds or "sub basins", which collectively flow together to form larger watersheds and "basins". Some watersheds extend across county, state, and even international borders. Just as creeks drain into rivers, watersheds are nearly always part of a larger watershed

 Why is it Important?

Watersheds are a dynamic part of the hydrological cycle.  Surface and Groundwater resources are tied directly to all watersheds.   There are also diverse and dynamic ecosystems that rely on the continuity of watershed to survive. Anything that can be picked up with rainfall runoff or any other drainage can end up in the watershed.  This includes trash and pollutants that can upset the ecosystem and threaten our resources for water supply and recreation.
		Animation from EPA.gov

 What areas of concern do we look for in the watershed?

There are a number of types of pollutants that can be found in runoff. Usually these are what are known as non-point sources of pollution.  Nonpoint source pollution is water pollution that originates from surprisingly common sources such as our homes, yards, cars and even our pets.  It is generated by a variety of everyday activities and is Denton’s leading cause of water quality degradation.  What may initially appear as harmless behaviors such as fertilizing, mowing, taking out the trash and walking the dog can clog or pollute a storm drain which drains to Lake Lewisville a primary source of drinking water for much of the DFW metroplex.

For More Information On Pollutants ...EPA Watershed Pollutants

For Information On What You Can Do To Help Protect Our Watershed ...What You Can Do

More You Can Do to Help Protect Our Watershed....More You Can Do

Take me to the Interactive Mapping Page To Find My Watershed.. Launch Watershed Locator

Take me to the Live Data Water Quality Query From UNT... Launch Water Quality Query