A watershed is defined as all of the land area that drains into a common low point, such as a lake or river. Rainwater and snowmelt run over the land and carry pollutants into those lakes and rivers. This form of pollution is nonpoint source pollution, since it originates from a variety of sources. Portage Lake is in the Portage River Water Shed. The green area identifies all of the sources that feed into our river. This includes Portage River, Portage Creek, Beer Creek, and the other lakes in the watershed such as Barton and Indian. Watershed management takes a holistic approach to natural resource protection, focusing on all the activities within the watershed boundaries that can impact water quality.
