ABSTRACT
Watersheds functioned well before humans began to alter their natural flows of water; and now many are in a distressed state. As more and more sites of human interference are analyzed, the overall picture of the linkages between the watershed’s geology, biology, geography, and human interference becomes clearer. This chapter concentrates on the sedimentary processes influencing urban areas and their watersheds. Geological processes affecting urban watersheds generally take place at or very near the surface and are primarily sedimentary type processes, which include processes involving liquid and solid water (ice), gravity, and tectonics. The geology of a watershed literally forms the foundation of where authors live. Moreover, the geology of any urban region shapes the manner in which they live: our lifestyles; food production; natural resource availability; economic activity, and ultimately determines our standard of living and our sustainability. The chapter concludes with a discussion of natural and anthropogenic disturbance.
