Watersheds
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Wisconsin's Watersheds
Goose Lake State Natural Area, Photo Copyright: Jonah Westrich, JW Creations.
Wisconsin's amazing watersheds are home to incredibly diverse plants, animals, cultures, history and aquatic communities! Our watershed protection work begins with water, land, and the people who live in -- and love -- their watersheds. These pages are filled with resource information, gathered and shared to convey these special resources and the work that is happening to actively manage and protect their integrity. Coming Soon! Updated Pages featuring details on Wisconsin's lakes, rivers, and watersheds!
Wisconsin's Basins
Explore the resources and management work happening in your local basin and watershed. View a featured basin site: The Mighty Mississippi!
Watershed Sites of Interest!
Wisconsin's Hydrologic Descriptions
Basins and watersheds are interconnected areas of land draining from surrounding ridge tops to a common point such as a lake or stream confluence with a neighboring land area.
In the WDNR, these hydrologic areas are used for 2 purposes. First and foremost, the delineation of these areas identifies where surface waters drain across the land surface of the state. Based on the drainage areas, the WDNR then develops water quality management plans by Water Management Units for protecting our water resources. Secondly, these areas define the distribution of resource management work in the Watershed Management, Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection and Drinking Water and Groundwater Management Programs. Some hydrologic areas are modified to also follow political boundaries (e.g. county borders) in order to help define where work activities of WDNR staff begin and end. These units are referred to as Geographic Management Units (GMUs)
Other federal natural resource agencies have delineated hydrologic drainage areas as well. These areas are known as Hydrologic Unit Codes [exit DNR] or "HUCs". To the extent possible, state and federal agencies have tried to be consistent with each other. But for various management purposes, some differences in the hydrologic boundaries are necessary. Provided below is a list of hydrologic drainage areas the WDNR maintains, along with a purpose for their existence, a map depicting their definitions and a description of how they are similar and/or different from the HUCs.
About WDNR Hydrologic Areas: Watersheds, Basins, WMUs and GMUs
Contact Information
Bureau of Watershed Management WT/2
101 South Webster St
PO BOX 7921
Madison WI 53707
(608) 267-7694
fax: (608) 267-2800
Watershed@wisconsin.gov
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