…by Gray Merriam

The Salmon River watershed is about 80 kilometres long. It starts north of Cloyne, just a few hundred metres south of Mazinaw Lake and Bon Echo Park which flow northeast into the Mississippi River watershed.

Lakes also have watersheds, often called subwatersheds because they are part of a larger river watershed. The subwatershed of Kennebec Lake contains all the headwaters of the Salmon River and brings them all together to form the head Salmon River where it leaves Kennebec Lake flowing toward the Bay of Quinte.

Population centres usually form on the downstream portions of river watersheds. That means economic and political power concentrates downstream. It also means that flood control is mainly a downstream problem. But if poor land or water care occurs in the headwaters or anywhere upstream, the damage flows downstream and affects all the rest of the watershed. So it pays to take care of everything upstream.

For more on watersheds and their stewardship, watch this Friends of the Salmon website for future discussions.