What
is a Watershed?
A
watershed is the area of land that drains into a body of water. A watershed is sometimes also referred
to as a "river basin," a "river valley,"
or a "drainage basin." Ponds have watersheds,
streams have watersheds, and so do rivers. As you can see,
watersheds come in all shapes and sizes -- they may contain
multiple towns or just a few houses.
Watersheds are "communities
connected by water." What takes place on the land
and waterways of one town affects the land and
waterways of many other towns.
By working together and recognizing the mutual interests of
protecting water for drinking, recreation, fisheries and
wildlife, watershed communities can protect this critical
resource for future generations.
Where is
the Neponset River Watershed?
The
Neponset River Watershed includes roughly 130 square miles
of land located southwest of Boston. All of this land drains into the Neponset River, and ultimately
in
to Boston Harbor.
The Neponset River Watershed includes parts of 14 cities and
towns:
Boston, Canton,
Dedham, Dover, Foxborough, Medfield, Milton, Norwood,
Randolph, Quincy, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole and Westwood
Roughly 300,000 people live in the watershed.
The Neponset
River itself runs for 30 miles through the middle of the
watershed.
The River starts in Foxboro, near the Foxboro Stadium, and
ends in Dorchester/Quincy, near the Boston Gas tank by I-93.
Because the Neponset River ultimately enters Boston Harbor,
the Neponset River Watershed is itself a part of the larger Boston
Harbor Watershed,
along with the Mystic River Watershed
to the north of Boston, the Charles River Watershed to the
west of Boston and the Weymouth-Weir River Watersheds,
which, like the Neponset River Watershed, originate south of
Boston.
To
download a PDF version of the basic watershed map, click
here.
