Where does the water flow?
Getting to know your watershed
One Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake
The Earth is made up of 70% water. Your body is made up of 60% water. All species need clean water to survive physically and mentally, which is why many towns and cities are intentionally built near a water source.
Your place has a never-ending water cycle, where precipitation falls from the sky, makes its way through creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, marshes, bays and estuaries, into and out of your home, and eventually back into the atmosphere. The water in your place is also part of its history. It was there long before you and will be there long after. For this week, let’s get to know your place in terms of the way the water flows.
This is called a watershed, a region of land in which the water drains into a particular body of water, and eventually into an ocean or sea.
The size of a watershed, and the speed, direction, and flow of its waterways, is determined by the specific landforms of your place. High ground directs the path and speed, and forms the boundaries between watersheds. Within larger watersheds, there are smaller ones. For example, I live within the One Mile Creek watershed, one of many creeks and rivers within the larger Lake Ontario watershed.
Water is such an important aspect of a place. One of the ways I’ve learned to experience my place differently is to “walk the creek.” I found a watershed map of One Mile Creek (below), a body of water near my house that flows into Lake Ontario. The boundaries are in green, the creek in blue. It’s fascinating to notice the way it meanders according to the slope of the land, curving through private properties, disappearing for a while under streets, and then reappearing on the other side.
Practice
Water is our lifeblood and it can be found everywhere, even in the middle of a city (although much of it may be hidden). Walk a creek or stream near you. See if you can find a watershed map for your neighbourhood and walk it. If you can’t find a map, just follow a stream or a creek and see where it goes.
If you can’t leave your home or go very far, just be aware of water this week. If it rains, notice where the water flows. See how much you (and the birds and animals who share your place) rely on water sources, for drinking, and cleaning. Be grateful for water.
Share your experience with the water of your place in the comments or on Instagram (add #seeingyourplace2022).
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