Watershed

A watershed is an area of land that drains precipitation and streams toward a common outlet, such as a river, lake, or ocean.

Drainage divide: A boundary separating neighboring areas that drain toward different outlets. Ridges and other high ground commonly mark the boundary between adjacent watersheds.
Catchment area: An area from which water drains to a particular point or outlet. It is a common synonym for watershed, especially in hydrology and engineering.
Watershed management: Coordinated planning and action to protect or manage land and water across a drainage area. Managing land and water together addresses processes that cross property and municipal boundaries.
Watershed (hydrology): A land area that drains to a common outlet, as used in hydrology. This is the drainage-area sense, distinct from the landform meaning of watershed as a divide.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of water with nutrients that can stimulate excessive algal and plant growth. Nutrients washed from watershed land can trigger ecological changes in downstream waters.
Surface runoff: Water that flows over land when precipitation exceeds infiltration or stored water reaches the surface. Runoff carries precipitation downhill into the streams that drain a watershed.
River basin: The land area drained by a river and its tributaries. A river basin encompasses the watershed contributing flow to its main river system.
Flood forecasting: The prediction of future river levels or flows that may cause flooding. Forecasts use watershed rainfall, terrain, and stream response to estimate downstream flows.
Aquifer: A permeable body of rock or sediment that stores and transmits groundwater. Aquifer boundaries can cross surface watershed divides, so the two areas need not coincide.
Sediment transport: The movement of soil and rock particles by flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity. Erosion within a watershed supplies sediment that streams carry toward their outlet.

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