Laura Ingalls Wilder PTSA
School year 2006-2007

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!