You’ve probably heard terms like streamway, watershed, and floodplain used in news articles and conversation before. But do you really know what they mean?
Museum staff thought we did – until we started preparing for our special exhibit, “Ripples: Water, Community, and You.” The more we read, the more maps we studied, the more we realized: we did not really know water.
Understanding the water in our environment is essential. So we’ve pulled together some key terms and concepts so you don’t have to! Here’s a crash course in the basics of streamways, watersheds, and water management.
Streamways – Going with the Flow
Streamway is a catchall word for any watercourse that flows in a channel – like streams, creeks, and rivers. That trickle in your backyard? A named creek like Turkey Creek? A mighty river like the Kansas River? All streamways.
Over time, streamways have served as sources of drinking water, transportation routes, recreation spots, and, at times, open sewers. But most importantly, they are rich natural environments, home to entire ecosystems of bugs, birds, plants, animals, and aquatic life. A stream running through your neighborhood may be supporting life in ways you’ve never imagined.
Floodplains – When Streamways Spill Over
A floodplain is the low-lying land that surrounds a streamway. When rainfall or snowmelt overwhelms the channel, the water spreads into this area.
Floodplains might look like prairies, a wetland, or wooded groves. Some – like those along the Kansas and Missouri Rivers – stretch for miles. Periodic flooding supports the plants and living organisms that live there and replenishes the soil, making floodplains ideal for farming. Nature built these areas to flood – and that flooding has benefits.
Tributaries – A Connected System
No streamway stands alone. They are all part of a larger network, flowing into one another. A streamway that drains into a larger one is called a tributary.
For example, Indian Creek flows into the Blue River, which itself has many tributaries. The Blue is a tributary of the larger Missouri River, which in turn empties into the Mississippi River. That means the rainwater that runs off your driveway could travel hundreds of miles – ultimately reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Pretty amazing, right?
Watersheds – Flowing Together
All of those interconnected streamways form a watershed – the land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt into a common outlet like a stream, creek, river, reservoir, or ocean.
Each streamway has its own watershed. But just like tributaries, smaller watersheds are part of larger ones. Turkey Creek is part of the of the Kansas River watershed, which is part of the Missouri River watershed, which is part of the vast Mississippi River watershed – covering about a third of the entire United States.
Watersheds don’t follow city, county, or even state lines. Do you know which watershed you live in? Check out the map below to find out.
Water Management – Controlling the Flow
All of the water concepts above are part of nature’s design. Water flows downhill. Simple, right?
But human society depends on water for survival, agriculture, industry, energy, and recreation. That’s why humans have developed systems to manage it – sometimes with unintended consequences.
A few examples:
- Dams hold water back to create reservoirs that can be used in flood control, energy generation, or recreation.
- Levees (or embankments) are built to prevent rivers from flooding their natural floodplains – especially in areas where towns, businesses, and farm fields are located.
These water management tools can protect people and property – but they can also harm nature. Dams and levees disrupt nature cycles, block wildlife movement, and destroy critical habitats for nesting and feeding. [Image 6]
Stormwater and Runoff – What Goes Down Comes Out
Stormwater systems are another way we manage water – through gutters, storm drains, and underground pipes that move water away from your home, street, and neighborhood.
In Johnson County:
- Storm sewers are separatefrom sanitary sewers (which carry wastewater).
- Stormwater flows directly into local streamways – without any treatment.
That means whatever goes down a storm drain – fertilizer, trash, motor oil, grass clippings – ends up in a stream. This is called runoff, and it can be damaging. For example, lawn fertilizer runoff can trigger algae blooms, which reduce oxygen in the water and suffocate fish.
To help protect our local waters:
- Never dump anything down a storm drain.
- Keep yard waste and chemicals off the streets.
- Be mindful of how your actions affect the water cycle.
Building on the Basics – Water Exhibit
Now that you know the basics of streamways, watersheds, and water management in Johnson County, there is even more to explore!
Our special exhibit “Ripples: Water, Community, and You” is included with regular museum admission. The Johnson County Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm. You can plan your visit at jcprd.com/ripples!
Thank you to our exhibit sponsors!
We’re grateful for the generous support of Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, HDR, The Parks & Recreation Foundation of Johnson County, and TREKK Design Group. Their partnership helps us bring the vital story of water to life — for you, your family, and our entire community.
