United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 New York Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content




Watersheds

A watershed, also referred to as a drainage basin, is the land area drained by a system of streams flowing downhill to a major river, lake, or estuary. Watersheds can be small, draining only a few acres, or very large, crossing State boundaries and encompassing thousands of square miles. Unique features of watersheds include their topography, soils, vegetation, land use and hydrology which directly effect runoff quantity and quality. A good example of a large watershed is the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. It covers parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative
Emergency Watershed Protection Program – Floodplain Easements

Rapid Watershed Assessments

Rapid watershed assessments provide initial estimates of where conservation investments would best address the concerns of landowners, conservation districts, and other community organizations and stakeholders. These assessments help land-owners and local leaders set priorities and determine the best actions to achieve their goals. Each assessment provides a description of the sub basin’s natural resources, resource concerns, and conservation needs. Rapid Watershed Assessments typically contain the following information:

  • Physical Resources
  • Land Use and Land Cover
  • Water Quality Conditions Report
  • Soil, Stream, Precipitation Data
  • Resource Concerns
  • Census and Social Data

Benefits of Rapid Watershed Assessments

  • Quick and inexpensive plans for setting priorities and taking action
  • Providing a level of detail that is sufficient for identifying actions that can be taken with no further watershed-level studies or analyses
  • Actions to be taken may require further Federal or State permits, Endangered Species Act (ESA) or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis but these activities are part of standard requirements for use of best management practices (BMPs) and conservation systems
  • Identifying where further detailed analyses or watershed studies are needed
  • Plans address multiple objectives and concerns of landowners and communities Plans are based on established partnerships at the local and state levels
  • Plans enable landowners and communities to decide on the best mix of NRCS programs that will meet their goals
  • Plans include the full array of conservation program tools (i.e. cost-share practices, easements, technical assistance)

NRCS New York Rapid Watershed Assessments

NRCS New York has completed 36 Rapid Watershed Assessments and has made them available online.

Maps, Imagery, Data, and Analysis - USDA NRCS Technical Resources Web site
Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) - USDA NRCS National Cartography and Geospatial Center
Watersheds Photo Gallery

If you encounter problems with this Web page, please contact the Webmaster at 315-477-6524.