Chapter 13
Running Water
• Running
water
means……….
• Water that is
in motion,
such as in
rivers and
streams
• Tributary………
• Like a branch
runs into a limb
and a limb runs
into a tree trunk
• A small river
or stream
that runs into
a bigger river
• A river
system….
• Examples
would be the
Potomac River
system and the
James River
system
• Includes a
main river
and all of its
tributaries
• A watershed
is……….
• The land
around the
river system
that all drains
into that river
• Also known as
a drainage
basin
• Gradient…
• How steep the
river is
• The steeper
the
river………….the
faster the
river will flow

• Discharge…
• Which has
more
discharge, a
stream in your
backyard or
the Potomac
River???
• The volume of
water flowing
past a given
point at a given
time
• Channel…..
• The deepest
part of the
river
• Where the
river started
forming