Understanding watersheds is the first step towards learning about water pollution and the threats that our oceans face. A watershed is all the land that drains into a specific body of water—so there’s a watershed for Ballona Creek, LA River, and the Santa Monica Bay, along with many others.

We each live in a watershed, and chances are we travel through a number of different watersheds each day as we go from home to school or work, or even just visiting friends and running errands. In this section, you can learn more about what watersheds are, how they work in a natural environment, and how they work in urban environments like the LA region.

Malibu Creek watershed is the second largest watershed draining into the Santa Monica Bay. Map by GreenInfo Network		What is a Watershed? Everyone lives in a watershed. Basically, the watershed you live in simply means that if you pour a glass of water on the ground outside your house, it will theoretically flow to a specific body of water. Learn more about Watersheds.
Areas like Angeles National Forest belong to Natural Watersheds where water filters through the ground into waterways. Photo: Wikipedia.org		Natural Watersheds In order to clearly understand watersheds and how they work in today’s environment, it’s important to first understand how watersheds work in a completely natural environment. Learn more about the Water Cycle and how it interacts with Natural Watersheds.
Areas like Downtown L.A. belong to Urban Watersheds where water cannot filter into the ground because of concrete, asphalt and other impermeable surfaces. Photo: Wikipedia.org		Urban Watersheds In urban areas, watersheds function in a very different way because impermeable surfaces block water from filtering into the ground. Learn how urban development effects the Water Cycle and Watersheds.