Anchorage Watersheds
What is a watershed?
A watershed is a region
of land where surface drainage from
rain or snowmelt drains downhill to
a single point. The watershed area
includes the streams and rivers that
convey the water as well as the land
surfaces over which water drains into
those channels. Each watershed is
separated hydrologically from adjacent
watersheds by a divide, often in
the form of a ridge, hill, or mountain.
Major watersheds in the Anchorage Area:
| Eagle River | Chester Creek |
| Fish Creek | Hood Creek |
| Campbell Creek | Furrow Creek |
| Rabbit Creek | Potter Creek |
| McHugh Creek | Ship Creek |
To help us manage our stormwater, Watershed Management Services has carefully mapped the boundaries of watershed features in the Anchorage area. For more information on Anchorage Watersheds and watersheds in the Upper Cook Inlet, visit the Watershed Management Services website at http://wms.geonorth.com/public_education/PublicEducation.aspx. To download the Anchorage Watershed map (PDF), click here.
How to protect our watersheds
Watershed management requires everyone's participation and cooperation. You can help by following some of these suggestions:
• Educate yourself about the watershed you live in and water resources.• Talk to your elected officials about watershed management and stormwater issues in your area.
• Make sure your area schools are talking about watersheds, and invite speakers to provide educational opportunities to the students.
• Ensure that hazardous materials are not disposed of or dumped on or around your property.
• Report any observations of hazardous materials being dumped or disposed of around streams, streets or storm drains (Call the hotline at 343-8135).
• Remove or replace any leaking underground storage tanks on your property.
• Reach out to other communities and cross political boundaries in the interest of watershed management.
• Build a Rain Garden as a school project or on your own property or place of business.
• Don’t trample stream banks, mow down to the stream bank, or place buildings or materials within 100 ft of a stream. Establish an area dedicated to stream viewing which does not interfere with the stream itself.
• Use pervious pavers on your driveway, sidewalk, or patio.
• Disconnect gutter downspouts from impervious surfaces, and direct toward a naturally vegetated area.
For more information on watersheds in the Anchorage area, visit the Watershed Management Services website at http://wms.geonorth.com.