Harris County's Watersheds
You may ask, "What exactly is a watershed?"
Basically, a watershed is a land area that ultimately drains rainfall runoff (or stormwater) to a common outlet point - typically a body of water, which is mostly creeks and bayous in Harris County. You're sitting in a watershed now. For example, if you live in the Brays Bayou watershed, the rain that falls on your house will eventually end up in Brays Bayou.
When viewing Harris County's watershed map, the individual watershed boundaries may look "jurisdictional," similar to a community's boundaries. However, watershed boundaries are formed by nature and are largely determined by the topography or "lay of the land." Through study, we're able to learn where those boundaries are located. Some of our area watersheds even cross city or county borders, as shown on the map.
Harris County has 22 major watersheds that each drain into 22 major waterways. The watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are large, some small... and each has its own independent flooding issues.
Click on any of the watershed links below (also found in the in the left nav) to view detailed information about each of Harris County's watersheds.
> See also Watersheds & Channels Reference Guide PDF