Our history, our health and our quality of life are connected through the ecosystems we depend on for land, water and food – We call them watersheds. The Deschutes Watershed is a basin holding all the land whose streams, wetlands, lakes and ground water drain into the Deschutes River. It covers an area of approximately 170 square miles mostly within Thurston County, but with a small portion in Lewis County—both in the State of Washington.
DERT has covered the Deschutes Watershed in detail in our Watershed Guide. A pull-out map offers a walking tour you can take informally (or organize a group!) to see first hand how amazing a restored environment around our Capital could be.
