What Is A Watershed? >>Maxwelton Watershed

"A watershed is the
region of land that
drains into a specified
body of water, such as a
stream, lake, sea or ocean".
— Webster's Dictionary

"Watershed: The drainage area contributing water, organic matter, dissolved nutrients, and sediments to a stream, lake, wetland, or other water body. This includes the area that contributes groundwater to aquatic ecosystems, which may be different from the area contributing surface water". Washington Department of Ecology - Protecting Aquatic Resources

What is YOUR watershed address?

Although not everyone lives on a stream, we all live in a watershed. The health of the watershed is dependent on informed environmental, social and economic management of single-family residential land, new development, commercial areas, agricultural land, wetlands, and upland forests in critical headwaters and confined valleys. Long-term watershed health requires community-wide engagement to be sustainable.

The Maxwelton Watershed is distinctive not only in its significance as the largest watershed in Island County, but also in holding one of only two salmon-bearing streams on Whidbey Island. It is also home to about 650 residential and agricultural landowners.

The watershed contains diverse habitats including the nearshore, feeder bluffs, remnant saltwater estuaries, freshwater wetlands, peat bogs, riparian streamside corridors, lakes, beaver ponds, mixed coniferous and wetland forests.

Much of Maxwelton Creek is fed by underground springs contained within upland forests. Maxwelton Creek is fed by several headwaters rather than a single source.

Learn more about
Maxwelton Watershed