Explore the Little Falls Watershed

Welcome to our little corner of Montgomery County, Maryland and NW Washington, DC. The green border defines the boundaries of our 9.5 square mile watershed. Any water that falls on the ground in this area will eventually flow into the Potomac River through the Little Falls, the Willett or the Minnehaha creeks, or branches as we call them here. Zoom in on the map to see what we have to offer.

What is a Watershed?

Look down, you are in a watershed.  When it rains, the water that hits the ground flows downhill until it meets a creek, river or ocean.  All the ground and associated people, plants, animals, buildings, roads, parking lots, and more are a watershed.  Watersheds can small like the Little Falls watershed and drain to a creek or large like the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes all the land that drains to creeks and rivers that drain into the Bay.  Everything that you do on your piece of ground, effects the quality of the water in the rest of the watershed. For a really good description a watershed and all the plants, animals and people are interconnected, visit the US Geological site.

How do You Affect the Watershed?

Everything you do in our watershed affects the water quality of our creeks. The storm drain system ties directly into the creeks. So, if you wash your car and the soapy water runs into the street, it will go through the storm drains right into the creek. If your downspouts go the street, the rain water from your roof goes directly to the creek. If you over-fertilize your lawn, the excess fertilizer is washed to the creek when it rains. Dog poop left in the park or in the gutter is washed into the creek in a rain storm. Even a candy wrapper carelessly dropped on the sidewalk will wash into the creek.