Watershed Information Sheets
A Watershed is an area of land that catches rainfall and snowmelt which then drain into low-lying bodies of water. Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes, from a few acres to millions of square miles.
HUC is an acronym for Hydrologic Unit Code. It describes an area of land that serves as a drainage area for surface water runoff. The drainage area boundaries begin with a specific point in a stream (usually the mouth or outlet). Its other borders are the highest elevations of surrounding land that divide the direction of surface water flow. The HUC is a national system used to logically convey the size of a watershed and the relationship of typical stream systems within it. Every hydrologic unit (a watershed or part of a watershed) is identified by a unique HUC number that has 2-14 digits. The bigger the HUC number, the smaller the watershed.
Click on a HUC8 below to learn more about the individual watersheds. Additional information includes narratives, maps, water quality data, and management needs for Missouri's major water basins.
