The three major regional watersheds in Virginia lead to the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico and the North Carolina Sound. The mountains are the ridge line or divide that determine what water goes toward the Gulf of Mexico.

States in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The Potomac river is found between Montgomery County Maryland and Loudoun County Virginia.

North Carolina has it’s own watershed, the Albemarle Sound, below the Chesapeake Bay.

South Riding is in the Bull Run watershed

Meandering river

Riparian Buffer – last section of land before the river or bay

A bay is bordered by land on 3 sides.

Estuaries preform important functions, such as providing habitats for many organisms and serving as nurseries for their young.

On your Loudoun county map (Loudoun Watershed Watch), color: Potomac river (large river by your house): blue Bull Run (local river your water runs to) : yellow Goose Creek (creek that fills Beaverdam reservoir): brown Beaverdam reservoir (where you get your water) : red Route 50 (major road near your house) : green South Riding (your neighborhood): pink Do the crossword puzzle, word find, and put the letters in the right order after you have colored your map.