What Is a Watershed?
Adopt-a-Watershed
Classes at Wilder Elementary

A
watershed is where the water goes when it rains. Every
house, school neighborhood, town and city is a part of a
watershed. When it rains in these places, the water washes
over the buildings, lawns, driveways, roads and trees like a
big shower. Just as the water in our shower washes all the
shampoo and soap and dirt down the drain, so does a rain
shower wash everything that is on our lawns, roads, and
neighborhoods, into our streams. The water continues to flow
to larger waterways and lakes and eventually out to the
ocean.
In
Wilder’s watershed, as it rains, the water washes the
buildings, playground and parking lot and then flows down to
the RD pond and Colin Creek, which is where we release the
salmon we raise. It then flows into Welcome Lake and down to
Bear Creak.
Most of
those who attend Wilder also live in the Bear Creek
watershed. From there, the water flows to the Sammamish
River, which also gets water from Lake Sammamish and all the
people who live in that watershed. This is where we become
part of a larger watershed. The water then flows into Lake
Washington, then lake Union and out through the locks in
Ballard and into Puget Sound. Eventually our water flows out
into the Pacific Ocean, which also connects with the other
oceans of the world.
When it
rains, every house, school, road, and community contributes
to what ends up in our waterways. There are fertilizers,
pesticides, soaps, all kinds of cleaning chemicals, oil
dripping from our cars and trucks, and air pollutants that
have washed out of the air and into our lakes and streams.
If you think of just the 400 families that attend Wilder,
and if we are using just a little fertilizer or pesticide,
cleaning supplies, or our car has a small oil leak, all
those little bits add up to a lot of pollutants. Then think
of all of Redmond, Woodinville, Seattle and all the homes
and roads and businesses, it’s overwhelming! However in the
same respect, if every family makes a little change, that
can add up to make a big difference!
How to help keep your
watershed healthy
Don’t use
chemicals in your yards.
There are all sorts of natural fertilizers on the market
that will green up your lawn, or fertilize your flowers.
Aerating and mulcher mowing is great for a green and healthy
lawn. You can spray white vinegar on your dandelions plants
and it will kill them. A good compost on your gardens will
feed your flowers, keep down weeds and hold in moisture in
the dry months. Cisco Morris and author Ann Lovejoy are two
northwesterners who are experts on natural gardening and a
great source of information, there is also a lot of
information to be found on the web.
Pesticides kill the good bugs along with the bad bugs. When
you knock the natural balance out of your yard, you create
more problems for yourself by creating a chemically
dependent yard. Carefully treat only when you have a pest
problem, and remember, there are many natural ways to deal
with pests. Molbaks carries many of these products and are a
great source of information.
http://www.pesticidefreeyards.org/Pages/FAQ.html
If you
must use a yard service, use an environmentally friendly
service. Remember, lawn and yard fertilizing/pest services
are in the business of making money, so they are not being
paid to be concerned about you and your family’s health.
Just because a chemical is on the market, doesn’t mean it is
safe for us. If it will kill bugs, it can’t be too good for
humans. Your children and pets will be glad if you make this
change For more information on the dangers of pesticides go
to:
http://www.chem-tox.com/pesticides/pesticidereport.htm.
Use a car
wash instead off washing your car at home.
There are many car washes, Brown Bear for one, recycles
their water and filters out soaps and oils. When you wash
your car at home, the soap and the road oils wash onto your
driveway, then down into your storm drain. These drains
empty into our streams and waterways, not into sewer
systems. Soaps and oils kill stream bugs that fish feed on
and we eat salmon that grow and spawn in these streams.
Fix the
oil leak on your car.
Next time
you are in a parking lot, look at all the oil spots where
the cars were parked. Then think of all the parking lots and
roads there are just in your area. When it rains, all this
washes into storm drains and into our waterways.
Use
natural cleaners in your home.
You and your children will be healthier by not being exposed
to chemical fumes and residues that are left behind. The
biggest problem with chemicals is that you generally can’t
see them so if someone else is applying them to your yard or
house, you have no way of knowing what, and how much you are
being exposed to. For cleaner alternatives go to:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html.
Even
one change makes a difference!
These are
a few important ways you can make a difference to the health
of your watershed and there are plenty of healthy choices
available. We live, work and play (and some of us get our
drinking water from wells) in our watershed. If every family
at Wilder makes one change, that’s about 400 changes! Don’t
be overwhelmed, start with one change and when that change
becomes your new habit, try another. Trust me, you will feel
good about making a difference!
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