What watershed do you live in?
The line between watersheds, called a divide, is the highest ground between two streams. Click on your county below for a detailed map that will help you identify the watershed you live in. Notice how often towns are situated on the divides and how often roads run along these ridges.
The HUC, or Hydrologic Unit Code, system is basically a way of classifying watersheds by size. This is a national system used to logically convey the size and relationship of typical natural stream systems. Every hydrologic unit (a watershed or part of a watershed) is identified by a unique HUC, a number that has 2 to 14 digits. The bigger the HUC number, the smaller the watershed.
On this map of the Missouri counties, the size of the watersheds is HUC 8. That is, the identifying number is eight digits long. Notice how these watersheds do not match the size and shape of your county. On your individual county map, smaller watersheds are shown. A combination of HUC 11 and HUC 14 watersheds are used in the county maps.
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