By: Rachael Marques, PCCD Watershed Specialist

Everyone has an address where they live and work. For example, Pike County Conservation District office is located at the address: 556 Route 402, Hawley, PA. Believe it or not, we all have a second address! The watershed(s) that we are in make up our Watershed Address.

No matter where you are, even if you are far from a stream or lake, you are in a watershed. The state of Pennsylvania has six major watersheds: the Ohio, the Genesee, the Susquehanna, the Erie, the Potomac, and the Delaware. These major watersheds can be broken into smaller watersheds that are still contained within the larger original. As you can see in the image below, Pike County contains 18 main watersheds that all drain into the larger Delaware River Watershed.

Knowing your watershed address is helpful as a natural reference point and shows how connected we are to our waterways even if we are not close to one. Our address may be 556 Route 402, Hawley, PA but our watershed address is: Blooming Grove Creek Watershed -> Lackawaxen River Watershed-> Delaware River Watershed. This means if it rains at the District office, the water which falls onto the property will make its way to Blooming Grove Creek. Once the water is in Blooming Grove Creek, it flows to the Lackawaxen River which then flows into the Delaware!

Our watershed addresses show why good watershed stewardship and the use of watershed-friendly practices at your home are important even if you aren’t on waterfront property. To learn more about ways to be a good watershed steward, visit our Homeowner’s Checklist. To find your own watershed address, visit our Do You Know Your Watershed Address page and the How’s My Waterway tool from the EPA.