More than 80% of watersheds in the United States lack adequate protection and now, a new online tool will tell you if the river or creek in your neighborhood is in trouble. The National Protected Rivers Assessment from the nonprofit American Rivers and Conservation Science Partners shows hundreds of rivers and creeks across California remain woefully underprotected. … The tool includes more than 70 possible mechanisms of protection from buffer zones of vegetation on riverbanks to local zoning ordinances and wildlife habitat protections. The data show California watersheds are only 31% protected but it is one of the highest scores in the nation.

Other watershed news:

• Phys.org: Forest loss can make watersheds ‘leakier,’ global study suggests​