Definition of Watersheds

	The concept of watershed is a very important one because it pertains to everyone. No matter where someone lives, they live in a watershed. A watershed (also called a drainage basin or a catchment) is defined as an area of land that intercepts and drains precipitation through a particular river system or group of river systems. In other words it is a region of interconnected rivers and streams which functions as a unified system for water transport. The term can be used with reference to a particular stream, river, lake or ocean (although it is sometimes also confusingly used to describe only the high point of land which divides two regions of drainage).
Watersheds may be of various forms: a closed watershed empties into an inland body of water, whereas an open watershed drains to the ocean. A multiple open watershed empties into the ocean through more than one mouth. A watershed is defined topographically by break points or ridges (e.g., mountain crests) which separate it from the next watershed.