Watershed Stewardship

What is a watershed? 

Watersheds are areas of land that collect water and channel it to a specific watercourse. In our case, the Thames River. They can be portions of neighbourhoods, parts of farm fields, or even an entire county or region. In London, there are at least 14 subwatersheds that contribute to the health of our neighbourhoods and provide special areas for residents. 

Stormwater Sewers 

As you can imagine, stormwater sewers play a big part in the watershed system. Stormwater sewers allow water collected on roads to drain away after rainfall and snow melt. These storm drains lead directly to area creeks and the Thames River so it is important that we take care of them so we can ensure the Thames River remains healthy and protected. 

As watersheds are central to our ecosystem, we must take care of it. So what can we do to help? Here are five things we can do to help safeguard our watersheds:

  1. Let water sink into your yard to replenish groundwater and local creeks 
  2. Naturalize your property - drought resistant, native plants need less water
  3. Capture rainwater - water from your roof could be used to water plants and your yard 
  4. Check your water footprint - get into the habit of not wasting water
  5. Historically, too much roof water went directly into storm drains. Disconnect downspouts rom these drains 

 

Resources: Know Your Watershed: A landowner’s guide to watershed stewardship in London (City of London, Canada)