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Ethical use of information means that you are using information properly and appropriately.  Copying and pasting someone's work is known as plagiarism - you want to avoid this by paraphrasing the information in your own words and give credit by citing your sources!

Be sure to follow the following citation template:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Title of Book or Article.  Copyright Date.

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You are now ready to begin your research process!

Don't know where to begin?  Here are some keywords that you can type in in the search bar to search and look for information:
*watershed
*Anacostia Watershed
*freshwater
*Chesapeake Bay Watershed

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This research guide was created by Mrs. Hong, your friendly librarian, to help you through your research process of researching the importance and the significance of the Anacostia Watershed.

Please go through this research guide, as this will guide you on your journey of researching in the most intentional and the most appropriate way - this guide will always be available.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask or stop by the library with your teacher's permission!

-Mrs. Hong

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Anacostia Watershed Society - to protect and restore our river

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To protect and restore the Anacostia River by bringing partners and communities together to achieve a clean and safe Anacostia River for the benefit of all living in its watershed and for future gener...

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A watershed is an area of land where all the water that is under it or flows over it collects in a single larger body of water, such as a larger river, a lake or an ocean. Larger watersheds may contain many smaller watersheds. For example, all of the land that drains to Rock Creek is in the Rock Creek watershed while all of the land that drains to the Potomac River, including Rock Creek, is in the Potomac River watershed.

Water in the Potomac River, Anacostia River, and Rock Creek flows into the District from outside jurisdictions. For example, the Potomac River begins in West Virginia, while the Anacostia River begins in Maryland. The quality of water in the District is thus affected by activities throughout the watershed. Stormwater runoff from commercial, industrial, residential and agricultural sites, point source pollutants from wastewater treatment plants and industrial discharges, and combined sewer overflows from as far away as West Virginia and Pennsylvania all contribute to the quality of water in the District.

All of the water in a watershed is connected, so it is vital that we all do our part to protect it. What you do upstream can have serious effects not only on the water in your immediate area, but on the water that flows downstream and the people that depend on it.

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Watersheds-As Small as a Footprint or as Big as an Ocean

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A watershed is an area of land where all the water that is under it or flows over it collects in a single larger body of water, such as a larger river, a lake or an ocean. Larger watersheds may contain many smaller watersheds.

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The fourth "Minute Meme" from QuestionCopyright.org - more at http://questioncopyright.org/minute-memes/credit-is-due Movie and song by Nina Paley Performed by Evanescent (Vocals & Ukele: Bliss Blood, Guitar: Al Street) http://www.blissblood.com/ev.music.htm Sound effects design by Greg Sextro LYRICS: Always give credit where credit is due if you didn't write it, don't say it's

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You will share your research findings, your understanding of water management, both on the local and global scales, and your final reflection to share with the class!

Please use the Google Slides that is connected to your student account. Be sure to integrate graphics, video clips, audios, and slide transitions into your presentation!

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Google Slides: Online Slideshow Maker | Google Workspace

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Use Google Slides to create online slideshows. Make beautiful presentations together with secure sharing in real-time and from any device.

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Parent’s Guide: watch Common Sense Media’s Smart Online Search Tips advice video to help you make informed decisions with your children.

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4 Safe and Smart Online Search Tips for Kids - YouTube

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4 Safe and Smart Online Search Tips for Kids

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Check out the following resources to help you with your process of researching on the Anacostia Watershed.

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The size of a watershed (also called a drainage basin or catchment) is defined on several scales-referred to as its Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC)-based on the geography that is most relevant to its specific area. A watershed can be small, such as a modest inland lake or a single county.

Conversely, some watersheds encompass thousands of square miles and may contain streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underlying groundwater that are hundreds of miles inland. The largest watershed in the United States is the Mississippi River Watershed, which drains 1.15 million square miles (2,981,076 square kilometers) from all or parts of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces stretching from the Rockies to the Appalachians!

Water from hundreds, and often thousands, of creeks and streams flow from higher ground to rivers that eventually wind up in a larger waterbody. As the water flows, it often picks up pollutants, which may have sinister effects on the ecology of the watershed and, ultimately, on the reservoir, bay, or ocean where it ends up.

Not all water flows directly to the sea, however. When rain falls on dry ground, it can soak into, or infiltrate, the ground. This groundwater remains in the soil, where it will eventually seep into the nearest stream. Some water infiltrates much deeper, into underground reservoirs called aquifers. In other areas, where the soil contains a lot of hard clay, very little water may infiltrate. Instead, it quickly runs off to lower ground.

Rain and snowmelt from watersheds travel via many routes to the sea. During periods of heavy rain and snowfall, water may run onto and off of impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roads, buildings, and other structures because it has nowhere else to go. These surfaces act as "fast lanes" that transport the water directly into storm drains. The excess water volume can quickly overwhelm streams and rivers, causing them to overflow and possibly result in floods.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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Latitude measures the distance north or south from the Earth's equator.

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Restoration Progress
Track and view progress toward meeting the Partnership's Restoration Goals.
Track and view progress toward meeting the Partnerships Restoration Goals.

The Anacostia River watershed extends through suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia and is one of the most densely populated urban watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Investments in major restoration efforts over decades are paying off and enhancing water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and opportunities for recreation, leisure, and adventure.

These efforts have advanced, in part, thanks to the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP). The Partnership, led by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), is a consortium of local, state, and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and private citizens working toward a cleaner, healthier watershed.

Enjoy the Anacostia

2018 was Year of the Anacostia (YOTA) - an invitation to honor history, celebrate progress, and enjoy the Anacostia River and Watershed.

COG is collaborating with its members and partners in the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership to continue this initiative, #enjoytheanacostia. The initiative focuses on getting area residents to experience the nature near their neighborhoods and enjoy the many opportunities that the Anacostia offers them. By connecting with the Anacostia Watershed, residents will see the progress gained from restoration efforts and investments. Visit here for additional details.

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Restoration Progress Track and view progress toward meeting the Partnership's Restoration Goals. Track and view progress toward meeting the Partnerships Restoration Goals. The Anacostia River watershed extends through suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia and is one of the most densely populated urban watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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The Anacostia River watershed in the District of Columbia and Maryland is home to more than 800,000 people, 43 species of fish and some 200 species of birds. The watershed has been heavily urbanized over time, losing 6,500 acres of wetlands and 70% of its forest cover. Impervious surfaces now cover more than 25% of the watershed. Near the U.S. Capitol, the Anacostia River flows next to communities that suffer some of the region's lowest employment rates, highest poverty rates, poorest health indicators and other challenges.

Ecologically, the Anacostia River is steadily improving. The watershed has historically suffered from trash, toxins, sewage, runoff, oil, heavy metals and more due to adjacent agricultural, industrial and urban land uses, but government agencies and community partners have led major restoration efforts that could soon make the Anacostia swimmable and fishable once again. At the same time, however, inequality in DC region has grown, and some residents fear displacement caused by gentrification as the river improves.

The river and its parks hold enormous potential to not only provide abundant wildlife habitat and improve water quality, but also to play a role in equitable community development and public health. The Anacostia Watershed UWP is a "partnership of partnerships," helping to connect community partners and government agencies that work to address these overlapping issues.

The UWP meets twice per year to check on progress and identify new projects for Federal collaboration.

Find a list of upcoming meetings here.

Sign up to get monthly updates from the Anacostia Watershed UWFP here.

Do you have a watershed restoration project that could use Federal agency support? Please contact the Anacostia Ambassador.

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Urban Waters and the Anacostia Watershed (Washington, DC/Maryland) | US EPA

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The Anacostia River watershed in the District of Columbia and Maryland is home to more than 800,000 people, 43 species of fish and some 200 species of birds. The watershed has been heavily urbanized over time, losing 6,500 acres of wetlands and 70% of its forest cover.

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While virtually everything we do in the Baltimore District affects the Bay, the Corps has specific projects and programs that directly support our commitment to the Chesapeake Bay goals included in Executive Order 13508, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration.

The Anacostia River Watershed is one of the Chesapeake Bay Program's main priorities for restoration in the Bay watershed.

The entire Anacostia River watershed consists of 14 major subwatersheds and the tidal portion, all located within the Washington metropolitan region.

The watershed encompasses approximately 176 square miles in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, Maryland; and the District of Columbia.

Historically, the Corps has been very involved in the watershed, through the development of Washington, navigation in the Anacostia River, and construction of flood risk management projects. Since the 1990s, our focus has intently revolved around ecosystem restoration.

Since 1991, the Corps has been a member of the Anacostia Watershed Management Committee, which oversees the multi-jurisdictional restoration efforts in the watershed. Within this committee, we are responsible for coordinating the federal effort to restore the watershed.

Since 2006, the Corps has been a member of the Anacostia Watershed Steering Committee and the Executive Committee.

The Anacostia watershed is one of the most urbanized watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay Basin and has suffered from years of environmental harm.

The Corps worked with stakeholders to develop a plan to protect, improve and restore the watershed; this led to the development of the Anacostia Restoration Plan (2010), which identified more than 3,000 projects for implementation and has since led to follow-on watershed ecosystem restoration studies in Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland. These studies include investigations of stream restoration and fish passage opportunities.

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While virtually everything we do in the Baltimore District affects the Bay, the Corps has specific projects and programs that directly support our commitment to the Chesapeake Bay goals included in Executive Order 13508, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. The Anacostia River Watershed is one of the Chesapeake Bay Program's main priorities for restoration in the Bay watershed.

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The following Dewey Decimal numbers will help you find various books on watersheds, the Anacostia Watershed, freshwater, and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
*333 - Economics of land and energy
*363 - Other social problems and services
*551 - Geology, hydrology, meteorology
*577 - Ecology
*917 - Geography of and travel in North America

The following is a list of recommended books in our school library that may hep with your Anacostia Watershed research:
*Anacostia Watershed Restoration Progress and Conditions Report by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (Call Number: 333.9162)
*An Existing Source Assessment of Pollutants to the Anacostia Watershed by Andrew Warner (Call Number: 363.7394)
*The State of the Anacostia by Peter A. Kumble (Call Number: 917.52)
*Anacostia River & Tributaries, District of Columbia and Maryland by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Call Number: 551.483)
*River of Redemption: Almanac of Life on the Anacostia by Krista Schlyer (Call Number: 577.6409)

The following is a link to our school library catalog (log-in with student account required):
https://dcps.follettdestiny.com/cataloging/servlet/presentadvancedsearchredirectorform.do?l2m=Library%20Search&tm=TopLevelCatalog

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The Chesapeake Bay watershed (drainage basin) extends about five hundred miles south from the headwaters of Otsego Lake, near Cooperstown, New York to the Atlantic Ocean and Suffolk, Virginia. It extends east from mountain streams near Blacksburg, Virginia to Berlin, Maryland (near Ocean City). It is essentially a giant, sprawling system of rivers that all drain into one shallow tidal basin, the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries (average depth, only 21 feet).

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The Chesapeake Bay watershed (drainage basin) extends about five hundred miles south from the headwaters of Otsego Lake, near Cooperstown, New York to the Atlantic Ocean and Suffolk, Virginia. It extends east from mountain streams near Blacksburg, Virginia to Berlin, Maryland (near Ocean City).

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Image

Photograph by Education Images

Every living thing on Earth needs water to survive, but more than 100,000 species, including our own, need a special kind of water that can only be found in certain places and is in very rare supply: fresh water. The plants, animals, microbes, rocks, soil, sunlight, and water found in and around this valuable resource are all part of what is called a freshwater ecosystem. Less than three percent of our planet's water is fresh water, and less than half of that is available as a liquid; the rest is locked away as ice in polar caps and glaciers. For these reasons, freshwater ecosystems are a precious resource.

Where is Fresh Water?

Fresh water starts out as water vapor that has evaporated from the surface of oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water. When this vapor rises, it leaves salts and other contaminants behind and becomes "fresh." The water vapor collects in drifting clouds that eventually release the water back to Earth in the form of rain or snow.

After fresh water reaches the ground through precipitation, it flows downhill across a landscape called the watershed to lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands. But fresh water can be found in less-obvious places, too. More than half of all fresh water on our planet seeps through soil and between rocks to form aquifers that are filled with groundwater. The top surface of an aquifer is called the water table, and this is the depth where wells are drilled to bring fresh water into cities and homes.

Studying Freshwater Ecosystems

On the volcanic island nation of Iceland, explorer Jónína Herdís Ólafsdóttir studies freshwater ecosystems that develop from groundwater seeping into fissures. These fissures are large cracks, which are caused by the tectonic plates underneath the country shifting and pulling the bedrock apart. The crystal blue water in these fissures is barely above freezing temperature. Wearing scuba gear, Olafsdóttir drops into the water and collects biological samples, recording notes about the species of fish, crustaceans, algae, and other microbes that she finds. She was one of the first scientists ever to describe the biodiversity in these Icelandic fissure ecosystems.

Scientists who study freshwater ecosystems are called limnologists. Limnologists want to learn what creatures live in an ecosystem and how they interact with each other through the ecosystem's food web, as well as how they interact with their environment. This knowledge can help the researchers know when a freshwater ecosystem is healthy and when it may be in danger.

Balancing Change

Freshwater ecosystems naturally share resources between habitats. The ecosystems in rivers and streams, for example, bring salts and nutrients from the mountains to lakes, ponds, and wetlands at lower elevations, and eventually they bring those nutrients to the ocean. These waterways also enable migrating species, like salmon, to bring nutrients from the ocean to upstream freshwater ecosystems.

Lakes and ponds, on the other hand, can exchange nutrients in a seasonal cycle. Cold water is denser than warm water, so it sinks to the bottom, where a fairly steady temperature is maintained. However, as the air temperature drops with the arrival of winter, the water that is closest to the surface may drop below the temperature of the water at the bottom of the lake, causing it to sink and the warmer bottom water to rise. The same process happens as floating surface ice melts into very cold water in the spring. During these periods, nutrients are churned from the floor and brought to the surface.

It is normal for ecosystems to encounter change. Temperatures may fluctuate, populations may rise and fall, and rain may bring an abundance of water, then taper during drought. The plants, animals, and microbes in healthy freshwater ecosystems are resilient and have adaptations that allow them to adjust appropriately until ideal conditions resume. However, if any element of the ecosystem varies too far outside of the norm, the balance of the whole system can start to fail.

Signs of Danger

Humans use fresh water in many ways, but these activities can be dangerous for freshwater ecosystems when we are not careful. Overfishing, pollution, and disruption of the landscape through projects like dams and deforestation are just a few ways we can put these ecosystems-and ultimately, our own access to fresh water-at risk. When the changes we cause are too great or too sudden, then ecosystems struggle to bounce back.

An example of this kind of sudden change is when an invasive species enters an area, which happened in 2009 near the city of Madison, Wisconsin, when the spiny water flea ( Bythotrephes longimanus) was detected in Lake Mendota. The spiny water flea, native to Russian and European lakes, came to North America in the 1980s with cargo ships that had traveled across the Atlantic and down the St. Lawrence River to the Great Lakes. Eventually, these tiny stowaways were carried over land to Lake Mendota, and that is where they unleashed a cascade of havoc.

Spiny water fleas love to eat Daphnia pulicaria plankton, which are important to the Lake Mendota ecosystem, because they eat green algae that would otherwise grow out of control. D. pulicaria is also a key food source for fish in the lake. As the population of spiny water fleas increased, algae began to overgrow and lower the oxygen content of the water, causing the fish to die and the lake water to grow murky. Ten years later, spiny water fleas are still thriving in Lake Mendota and now, a new invasive species, the zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha), is taking over the lake floor. Once an invasive species becomes established in a freshwater ecosystem, it is nearly impossible to get it out.

Scientists like Canadian aquatic ecologist Dalal Hanna can help avoid disasters like these by studying ecosystems and identifying points of human interaction that might cause trouble. Hanna has researched freshwater fish in African streams and birds that live near freshwater ecosystems in Canada. Today, she is developing useful measures and management strategies so communities can gauge how to balance their need for "ecosystem services" like drinking water, recreation, and flood prevention with the health of the freshwater ecosystems upon which they rely.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Director

Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society

Author

National Geographic Society

Production Managers

Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society

Jeanna Sullivan, National Geographic Society

Program Specialists

Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society

Margot Willis, National Geographic Society

Specialist, Content Production

Producer

André Gabrielli, National Geographic Society

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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The world's demand for fresh water is high, though there is a limited supply. How can we be more responsible with this crucial resource and its ecosystems?

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An alligator dozes on a log. A heron soars overhead and lands in the reeds a safe distance away. Sploop! A frog jumps into the water while insects buzz and chirp. This freshwater habitat is a busy place!

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Do you live in a watershed? Yes, we all live in a watershed. Learn what a watershed is, and what The Nature Conservancy is doing to protect fresh water across Indiana.

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Aquifers and Groundwater | U.S. Geological Survey

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A huge amount of water exists in the ground below your feet, and people all over the world make great use of it. But it is only found in usable quantities in certain places underground - aquifers. Read on to understand the concepts of aquifers and how water exists in the ground.