Watershed Assessment

Landscapes are an inspiring view, and full of information for watershed restoration as well. The Potomac Watershed Partnership is conducting a Watershed Characterization to compile information about its focus watersheds: Antietam, Monocacy, and Shenandoah Rivers. Maps help show the relationship of the forested ridges, farm valleys, and expanding communities. Where are the areas most likely to have homes at risk during a wildfire? The Characterization identifies high risk areas, such as forested ridgetop communities far from water sources and fire departments. Visit the Fire Risk Reduction section to learn about wildfire risk reduction work being done in these watersheds.

The amount of forest in a landscape often is a clue to watershed health. Forests conserve nutrients, shade streams, and slow storm runoff, functions that maintain natural stream systems. The PWP Watershed Characterization identifies forest occurrence in the focus watersheds of Antietam, Monocacy, and Shenandoah Rivers. It identifies interior forest that can support many neotropical migratory birds, areas of greatest likelihood for forest loss in the future, and regions with the lowest amount of existing forest buffers along waterways. The Characterization also shows where the PWP restoration actions are helping to restore forest buffers and the streams that the trees will grow up to shelter.

Watershed health is often not entirely visible just by looking at a landscape. The Potomac Watershed Characterization is designed to help understand the existing condition of natural resources, stresses on the landscape that affect current and future conditions, and actions taken to restore health of the forests, wetlands, and streams of focus watersheds. The Characterization shows the areas with the highest loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus, two of the main nutrients contributing to water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

It also shows population density and impervious surfaces by watershed, which increase stresses on stream systems. Areas where riparian forest buffers and wetlands have been restored to the landscape are mapped, work done to restore some of the natural functions that we count on to supply clean water, air, and healthy habitat for other creatures.