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What is a watershed?

Streams run parallel to our lives in Bellevue. Here, I-90 borders the Mercer Slough wetland towards downtown Bellevue. The slough is Lake Washington’s largest remaining wetland.

A watershed is the entire area that drains to a specific body of water such as a stream, lake, or a wetland. Watersheds include everything that exists on that area of land – roads, houses, buildings, and parks. What happens on the land in our watersheds impacts the health of our streams, lakes, and wetlands. In Bellevue, we all live in watersheds and have a responsibility to help keep these natural environments healthy.

Stream health is one of the best ways to measure the health of the surrounding watershed. A healthy stream has clean water, habitat for fish and wildlife, and enough room to flow through our landscapes. If we work together, we can all support healthy streams.

Bellevue borders Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, and has three small lakes – Phantom Lake, Larsen Lake and Lake Bellevue. Over 800 acres (or 1,000 football fields) of wetlands in Bellevue help prevent stormwater runoff from causing floods or erosion. Our wetlands also provide habitat for fish and wildlife.

What do you think of when you think of a healthy stream?