The Watershed Thread

What is a Watershed?

What are the parts of a watershed?

• Watershed Divide: The ridge or high point that separates drainage basins. Water on one side flows to one body of water, while water on the other side flows to a different body of water.
• Headwater: The source of a river or stream where water begins to flow.
• Tributary: A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake, contributing additional water and nutrients to the main waterway.
• Confluence: The point where two or more rivers or streams meet and combine their waters.
• Main River Channel: The primary course through which a river flows, carrying the bulk of its water downstream.
• Floodplain: The flat, low-lying area adjacent to a river that is subject to periodic flooding. Floodplains often support diverse ecosystems and agriculture.
• Mouth: The point where a river or stream flows into a larger body of water, which could be an ocean or lake.
• Delta: A landform created at the mouth of a river, where sediment is deposited as the river slows and spreads out, forming shallow areas or even new land.

North Dakota is located in two large watershed basins; the Missouri River Basin, and the Hudson Bay Basin.

These two basins are separated by a continental divide. The Missouri River Basin joins the Mississippi River in Missouri, which later flows into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. The Mouse and Red River Basins, including the Devils Lake Basin, flow north toward Canada and the Hudson Bay. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They can also cross county, state, and national boundaries.

Major watersheds across the United States.

In the next installment of The Watershed Thread, we will dive into North Dakota sub-basins and learn about stream order.