Introduction

Introduction
Rain falls on the hills overlooking Owasco Lake. It filters into the soil or flows overland under the influence of gravity.

Infiltration and Runoff

All of the water and the sediment that the overland flow has carried along leave a section of land surface area through a stream.

Watershed
The drainage basin, or watershed, of a lake or stream is the upstream and uphill land surface that discharges water and sediment into the lake or stream. The watershed of Owasco Lake has an area of 208 square miles, and is located in Cayuga, Onondaga, and Tompkins counties. Owasco Lake supplies drinking water for more than 50,000 residents of Cayuga County.

Map of Finger Lakes

A watershed forms a convenient unit for the consideration of the processes that form landscapes. It provides a system within which the inflow and outflow of natural resources, moisture and energy can be determined. In addition, the rates and kinds of erosion may be measured as particles suspended in stream flows, or as change in the stream channel. The drainage network of the Owasco Lake Watershed is comprised of all the streams that contribute water into the Lake.

Riparian Areas
Lands adjacent to streams, lakes, or other bodies of water where plant life is strongly influenced by the presence of water are called riparian areas. All riparian areas:

are adjacent to a body of water

exhibit a lack of clearly defined boundaries

are a transition between aquatic and upland environments, and

are linear in nature.
Forested Owasco watershed riparian areas are of value because of their ability to filter water and improve its quality. As a home for fish and wildlife, riparian areas provide outdoor recreation.