Watersheds of North America Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lake of the Woods

Any body of water feeding the Great Lakes drains into the St. Lawrence, but the Lake of the Woods (mostly in Ontario and Minnesota) drains, via the Winnipeg River, into Lake Winnipeg, and thus into the Hudson Bay watershed. Lac St.-Jean (in Quebec), drains into the Saguenay River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence. Lake Winnebago (in Wisconsin) drains into Lake Michigan via the Fox River, and Cayuga Lake (in New York), drains into Lake Ontario via the Seneca and Oswego Rivers.

Answer: Lake George

All of these bodies of water are in New York State, but Lake George drains into Lake Champlain, and thus into the St. Lawrence via the Richelieu River. The Mohawk river is a tributary of the Hudson, as is the Croton, dammed in 1837 to provide a source of water for New York City. Tappan Zee refers to a wide portion of the Hudson about ten miles north of New York City.

Answer: Lehigh River

The Lehigh River in Pennsylvania is a tributary of the Delaware, which flows into Delaware Bay. The Juniata (in Pennsylvania) is a tributary of the Susquehanna, the Rapidan (in Virginia) a tributary of the Rappahannock, and the Shenandoah (in Virginia) a tributary of the Potomac, all of which flow directly into Chesapeake Bay.

Answer: Savannah River

This is a question for South Carolinians. The Santee is formed by the junction of the Congaree and the Wateree, the upper reaches of which are known as the Catawba. The Savannah River, forming the border between South Carolina and Georgia, flows directly into the Atlantic Ocean.

Answer: Maumee River

The Mississppi watershed, from the Milk in Montana, to the Allegheny in Pennsylvania, to the North Canadian in Oklahoma, encompasses a huge portion of the continent. The Maumee River of Ohio, however, flows into Lake Erie, and thus into the St. Lawrence.

Answer: Brazos River

The Brazos River in Texas flows directly into the Gulf of Mexico, whereas the Alamosa and Conejos Rivers flow into the Rio Grande near its headwaters in Colorado and the Pecos is a large tributary of the Rio Grande that flows through New Mexico and Texas.

Answer: Sweetwater River

The Sweetwater River in Wyoming flows into the North Platte and thus into the Mississippi watershed. The Gunnison and San Juan are tributaries of the Colorado, and the Salt, in Arizona, flows into the Gila, which is a tributary of the Colorado.

Answer: Owens River

All are California rivers, but the Owens River, east of the Sierra Nevada, belongs to the Great Basin. It once drained into Owens Lake, but early in the 20th century was siphoned off into the Los Angeles Aqueduct. The Merced is a tributary of the San Joaquin and the American is a tributary of the Sacramento, which joins the San Joaquin to flow into San Francisco Bay.

Answer: Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake drains into the Yellowstone River, which flows through Montana into the Missouri and thus is a part of the Mississippi watershed. Flathead Lake, in Montana, drains into the Columbia via the Flathead, Clark Fork, and Pend Oreille Rivers. The Salmon River of Idaho drains into the Columbia via the Snake and the Okanogan River flows out of British Columbia, joining the Columbia in Washington.

Answer: Athabasca River

The Athabasca River in Alberta flows into Lake Athabasca, which is part of the Mackenzie River system draining into the Arctic Ocean. The Red River, forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota, and the Saskatchewan River, flowing out of the province named for it, drain into Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, which, in turn, drains into the Nelson River that flows into Hudson Bay. The Churchill River flows through northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba into Hudson Bay.