Did you know you live in a watershed?  You might live in the Kalamazoo River watershed. The watershed is defined as all the land that drains into the Kalamazoo River, which in turn drains to Lake Michigan and then on through the Great Lakes.  Much of the rain falling in the watershed, or drainage basin, moves across the land and through the groundwater towards streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

The Kalamazoo River watershed is located in the southwest portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and drains about 2,020 square miles from 10 counties including Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, and Van Buren.  The watershed is about 162 miles long and varies in width from 11 to 29 miles.   There are approximately 400,000 watershed residents. The watershed community includes 19 cities, 11 villages, and 107 townships between Hillsdale County and the City of Saugatuck. Communities in the watershed are connected by human infrastructure, green infrastructure, surface water, and groundwater.