A watershed is an area of land that water flows across as it moves toward a common body of water, such as a stream, river, lake or coast. Watersheds are defined by the way water flows across the land and are shaped by features and elevations on the surface of the land.
The Withlacoochee River watershed covers approximately 2,100 square miles within eight counties — Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco, Polk and Sumter.
Land and Water
Everything we do on land can affect the health of our water. That’s because land and water share an intimate connection. As rainwater drains to the lowest point in a watershed, it carries pollutants and contaminants with it. This means human actions within the Withlacoochee River watershed may impact the river, its adjacent lands and ultimately, the estuary it empties into — the Withlacoochee Bay Estuary in the Gulf of Mexico.
Importance of the Watershed
The Withlacoochee River watershed is largely undeveloped, and nearly 30 percent of the watershed is conservation land.
