Clea
n Water for All
Seventy percent of this planet is covered by water and most of that is saltwater; our oceans and seas are nearly 97% of the Earth's total water About 3% of Earth's water is fresh and most of that is frozen in polar icecaps and in glaciers. Only about 1% of all the Earth's water is in a form useable to humans and land animals. This small amount of fresh water is found in our lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and in the ground.
Water on our planet is always in motion. The 'water cycle' has no beginning or end; it is in continuous movement on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. There is continuous cycling between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land. Determined mostly by temperature, this cycling water changes from solid to liquid and gaseous phases and back again as it moves around our planet . Through all these changes, the total amount of water on Earth remains constant. There is as much water now as when dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. With so little of the total amount of water available for our needs at any time, everyone must be prepared to act toward protecting water quality and quantity to meet our needs.
Three Ways to the Sea
In Pennsylvania, water flowing across our lands reaches the Atlantic Ocean by six major routes. Much of the state is drained by the Susquehanna River into the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay also receives Pennsylvania waters by way of the Potomac River draining a few counties along Pennsylvania's southern border. The Ohio River delivers waters from much of western Pennsylvania to the Gulf of Mexico by way of the Mississippi River and the eastern border of the state is defined by the Delaware River, delivering its flow to Delaware Bay. Smaller areas of the state are drained by streams flowing into Lake Erie and, along the northern border, the Genesee River flows to Lake Ontario. These portions of the Great Lakes basin flow to the ocean by way of the St. Lawrence River.
In Bedford County, our streams flow toward three of these major drainages, a distinction shared with only two other PA counties. A very small part of the western edge of the county delivers water to the Ohio River basin by way of the Conemaugh River. The southern third of the county, drained by Wills Creek, Evitts Creek, Town Creek , Fifteenmile Creek and Sideling Hill Creek, is part of the Potomac River Basin. The remaining part of Bedford County, most of the northern two thirds, drains to the Susquehanna River by way of the Raystown Branch or the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River
What Is A Watershed?
A watershed is a basin-like land form that drains rainwater and snowmelt to a specified point such as the mouth of a stream, a pond, lake, or bay. Watersheds can be considered on a large scale, such as the Chesapeake Bay watershed; or on a smaller more local level, such as the Bobs Creek or Shobers Run watersheds.
