Water Management

The Environmental Protection agency defines a watershed as anybody of land that flows
downhill into a waterway. Basically, “watershed” is a broad term used to describe how water
flows across land to feed streams, rivers and lakes. (Source: environmental Protection agency).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 Define watershed
 Importance of Watershed
 What are the difference perspective of watershed development
 Identify and describe the different soil and water conservation

VOCABULARY:

Watershed ground water Basin

Water quality Leaching Infiltration

Indicators Species Erosion Aquifer

Sedimentation Precipitation watershed

INTRODUCTION:

Water is an essential to our existence or the breathing air. We can survive without food
for several weeks, but without water we would die in a few days.

Watershed is a geohydrological unit or piece land that drains at a common point. It is

defined as the “any spatial area from which rain or irrigation water is collected and drained
through a common point. It is a geographic region which hydrological conditions are such that
water becomes concentrated within a particular location. Example a river or reservoir by which
the watershed is drained. The watershed is important source of drinking water.

What is a Watershed?

The word “Watershed” introduced in 920 was used for the “water parting boundaries.
Watershed is that land area which drains for contributes run off to a common outlet.

Watershed is an area of land that feeds all the water running under it and draining of it
into a body of water. It combines with other watersheds to form a network of rivers and streams
that progressively drain into larger water area. Topography determines where and how water
flows. Ridge tops surrounding a body of water determine the boundaries of watershed. Imagine
turning an open umbrella upside down in the rain. Rain that hits anywhere within the umbrella’s
surface area would go to the bottom at the center of the umbrella. Any rain that didn’t hit the
umbrella would fall to the ground. The umbrella is like a watershed it collects everything that
falls into it. Waterways within the watershed all feed into that main body of water, which could
be a river, lake, or stream. The beginnings of water source are called headwaters. The spot
where headwaters progressively join other water is called the confluence, and the endpoint of
the waterways that open into the main body of water is called the mouth (source:
Environmental Protection Agency). To return to the umbrella example, imagine now that there
are three groups of umbrellas. One group of large umbrellas (the basin) sits on the ground,
while another group of smaller umbrellas (watersheds) floats above them, with a hole in the
bottom of each. Yet another group of even smaller umbrella (catchments) floats above those,
also with a hole in the bottom of each. If the rain was caught in the top level of umbrellas, it
would drain into the larger umbrellas below, which would drain into the largest umbrellas below
them. Of course, this is a simple model. Water does not simply hit the land and roll of it into a
stream. Rainwater (and everything else0 is lost through absorption by plants, evaporation and
consumption by humans. These factors also depend on the area; the day like soil of Georgia will
not absorb as much water as the loose soil of Kansas.

IMPORTANCE OF WATERSHED

 Watershed sustains life in more than one way

 According to the Environment Protection Agency more than $450 billion in foods,
fiber, manufactured goods and touring depends on clean, healthy watersheds.
 Healthy watersheds are also very important of human life.

PERPECTIVES OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

 HYDROLOGICAL ASPECTS
- Hydrological behavior of watershed is influenced by watershed conditions.
- The watershed treatment and management practices alter the slope and roughness.
Characteristics of watershed management and tent to reduce the surface flow and the
peak flow.
 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
- Development applied locally for developing green foliage, envies environment globally in
due course of time.
- The local measure of micro-scale watershed development would have cumulative effect
on environment when considered on a larger basin or a global scale.
 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECT

- In achieving the true objectives of watershed management, the view of point of individuals
and communities, who live in the watershed, should be considered.

- The socio-economic factors also determine the motivation of farmers to make necessary
investment of labor and capital in watershed development.

 FINANCIAL ASPECTS
- Watershed management requires close collaboration of various planning and
implementing agencies to achieve full benefits of the programmed.

 ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL ASPECTS

- Planning should only include those measures activities which are acceptable politically.

SOIL and WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES FOR AGRICULTURAL LAND

 Contour Building: a series of such bunds divide the area into strips and act as a barrier
to the flow of water.

Graded Binding: these are constructed where the excess water is to removed safely to
avoid water stagnation.

Bench Terracing: it is practiced on step hill slopes which involve converting the ground
into level step like fields half filling.

Grassed water ways: these are associated with channel terraces for sale disposal of
concentrated run off thereby protecting the land against rills and gullies.

Stripped cropping: consists of a series of alternate strips of various types of crops laid
out so that tillage and crop management practices and performed across the slope of on
the contours.

Mulching: mulching of open land surface of a cropped area is achieved by spreading

stubble trash or any vegetation to prevent soil from blowing or being washed away.

ACTIVITY: Vocabulary worksheet

WORD BANK

Watershed Water quality Indicator Series

Erosion Sedimentation Ground water

Leaching Infiltration Basin Precipitation

.___________An organism whose presence or absence reveals the environmental condition.

2.__________When soil is removed from the land surface.

3.__________The area of land where all of the water drains off into the same place.

4.__________When soil particles are carried by water and deposited somewhere.

5.__________The measure of the chemical, biological physical characteristics of water.

6.__________The natural process by which chemicals, minerals or particles are washed out the
soil and enter the ground water.

7.__________Water located beneath the ground that the empty spaces.

8.__________A catchment area where water drains into a depression.

9.__________Any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet or hall that falls into the earth
surface.

.__________The seeping of surface water into the soil and down into the aquifer

B. Matching type: Match column A and column B. Write the letter of the correct answer.

A B.
___. A series of such bunds divide the area A. Precipitation
into strip. B. Contour banding
___2.Development locally for developing C. Bench-terracing
green foliage. D. Springs
___3.A project can be founded by E. Environmental aspects
Government. F. Water table
___4.These measure effects flood control and G. Strip cropping
soil moisture conservation. H. Watershed
___5.Any forms of water that falls to the earth I. Hydrological aspects
surface. J. Financial aspects
___6.A place where water comes from below K. Mulching
ground to run into the surface. L. Graded binding.
___7.The horizontal depth of the top of the
aquifer
___8.Open land surface of cropped area.
___9.It consist of series of alternatives strips
of various types of crops.
___0.It is practiced on steep hill slopes.

SUMMARY:

Watershed is a form meant to capture the sum of the action taken to preserve and
maintain watersheds. The watersheds the land area of draining to a point on the streams of
river, is nature’s production unit for water supplies. It is the process of guiding and coordinating
use of land and water resources in a watershed.

Watershed is an essential in day to day life, a vast range of activities of everyday life
depend upon the adequate supplies of water for example agriculture and industry. Power
production, inland transportation, and sanitation and public health services and so on. Therefore
to provide all these activities construction of watershed and manage is essential watershed is a
geohydrological unit of land that drain a common point.

EVALUATION:

Essay: Answer this in a one whole sheet of paper

 .What watershed do you live in?

 What types of water are included within a watershed?
 What might happen if the water quality becomes worse?

ANSWER KEY:

A. VOCABULARY WORKSHEET

. Indicator- an organism whose presence or absence reveals the environmental condition.

2. Erosion- when the soil is removed from the land’s surface.

3. Watershed- the area of land where all of the water drains off into the same place.

4. Sedimentation- when soil particles are carried by water and deposited somewhere else.

5. Water quality- the measure of the chemical, biological and physical characteristics of water.

6. Leaching- the natural process by which chemicals, minerals or particle is washed of the soil
and enter the ground water.

7. Ground water- water located beneath the ground that falls the empty spaces.

8. Basin-a catchment area where water drains into depression.

9. Precipitation- any form of water, such as rain, snow, sleet or hail that falls to the earth
surface.

Infiltration- the seeping of surface water into the soil and down into the aquifer.

B. MATCHING TYPE

B. a series of such bunds divides the area into strips.

C 2. Development applied locally for developing green foliage.

J 3. A project can be funded by government or NGO’s.

I 4. These measures affects flood control and soil moisture conservation.

A 5. Any form of water that falls to the earth’s surface.

D 6. A place where water comes from below ground to run on the surface.

F 7. The horizontal depth of the top of the aquifer.

K 8. Open land surface of a cropped area.

G9. It consists of a series of alternate strips of various types of crops.

C . It is practiced on steep hill slopes.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

http://www.epa.gov/adopt/patch/patch2004.pdf

http://science.howstuffworks.com/watershed.Htm

http://www.NPS.gov/archieve/wica/hydrology-watershed- watershed.htm