Each parcel is part of a much larger system – a watershed.  There are portions of several watersheds in Hamilton County: The Great Miami and White Water River watershed to the west, the Mill Creek in the center, the Ohio River watershed to the southwest and east and the Little Miami River watershed to the east.
	Actions taken at the parcel level have the potential to affect downstream neighbors.
	For example, increasing the volume of runoff on a given site will likely cause increased erosion downstream.
	Also, untreated surface water runoff carrying contaminants from rooftops, roads and parking lots has the potential to contaminate nearby surface water and sediments.