Coastal
Resource Inventory Tutorial
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4.
Learn More About Water Resources
What
is it?
There are a number of water resource layers available from the DEP.
Watersheds are simply land areas that drain to a single outlet. Watershed
boundaries come in three different sizes that are nested one within
the other. Major basins are the largest watersheds and tend to cover
vast areas of one to several states. An example of this would be the
Connecticut River Watershed that stretches from Canada down to Connecticut.
Within the major basins, are the regional basins that define lands which
drain to the major tributaries, feeding the major rivers. An example
of a regional basin would be the Farmington River Basin that drains
to the Connecticut River. The smallest watershed boundaries available
from the DEP are the local basins. These local basins are subsets of
the larger regional basins, and are, on average, about 1 square mile
in area. These local basins are the ones that feed your local duck pond
or stream.
There
are also a number of other surface water data layers available, such
as steams, lakes, wetlands (using wetland soils as an indicator), and
tidal wetlands.
Why
is it important?
Since all life depends on water, water resources are the central element
for any natural resource protection plan. The water resources will form
the basis of your resource protection and open space plans, since surface
waters are important wildlife corridors. Watersheds are also important
units in land use planning, particularly when assessing the impacts
of impervious surfaces on water quality and water resource health.
What
else should I consider?
The local watersheds shown on this map are the framework
used to depict levels of impervious cover in tutorial data layer #5.
Also, inventory fans should know that there are two relatively new
Connecticut
programs focusing on drinking water. The Aquifer Protection Act lists
major aquifer areas in the state, and directs towns that include
those
areas to revise their land use regulations (see links); the preliminary
map of these areas is included on this map, and we will add the final
version soon. The Source Water Assessment Program (SWAP), administered
by the Dept. of Public Health in collaboration with CT DEP, has mapped
all major drinking water source areas, included major aquifers, public
supply watershed, and many wells. Maps of these areas are not available
online for security reasons, but a map for each town resides at your
town hall, either with the First Selectman or a health official.
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Tidal
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Watershed
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Aquifer
Protection Areas
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Tidal
Wetlands
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Wetland
Soils
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Hydrography
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Water
Features
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