TERMS

Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water that occurs when
excess stormwater, meltwater, or other sources flows over the Earth's surface. This might occur
because soil is saturated to full capacity, because rain arrives more quickly than soil can
absorb it, or because impervious areas (roofs and pavement) send their runoff to surrounding soil
that cannot absorb all of it. Surface runoff is a major component of the water cycle. It is the
primary agent in soil erosion by water.[1][2]
Runoff that occurs on the ground surface before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint
source. If a nonpoint source contains man-made contaminants, or natural forms of pollution
(such as rotting leaves) the runoff is called nonpoint source pollution. A land area which
produces runoff that drains to a common point is called a drainage basin. When runoff flows
along the ground, it can pick up soil contaminants including petroleum, pesticides,
or fertilizers that become discharge or nonpoint source pollution.[3]
In addition to causing water erosion and pollution, surface runoff in urban areas is a primary
cause of urban flooding which can result in property damage, damp and mold in basements, and
street flooding.

Surface water is water on the surface of the planet such as in a river, lake, wetland, or
ocean. It can be contrasted with groundwater and atmospheric water.

A drainage basin is any area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common
outlet, such as into a river, bay, or other body of water. The drainage basin includes all
the surface water from rain runoff, snowmelt, and nearby streams that run downslope towards
the shared outlet, as well as the groundwater underneath the earth's surface.[1] Drainage basins
connect into other drainage basins at lower elevations in a hierarchical pattern, with smaller sub-
drainage basins, which in turn drain into another common outlet.[2]
Other terms used interchangeably with drainage basin are catchment area, catchment
basin, drainage area, river basin, and water basin.[3] In North America, the term watershed is
commonly used to mean a drainage basin, though in other English-speaking countries, it is used
only in its original sense, that of a drainage divide.
In a closed drainage basin, or endorheic basin, the water converges to a single point inside the
basin, known as a sink, which may be a permanent lake, a dry lake, or a point where surface
water is lost underground.[4]
The drainage basin acts as a funnel by collecting all the water within the area covered by the
basin and channelling it to a single point. Each drainage basin is separated topographically from
adjacent basins by a perimeter, the drainage divide, making up a succession of higher
geographical features (such as a ridge, hill or mountains) forming a barrier.
Drainage basins are similar but not identical to hydrologic units, which are drainage areas
delineated so as to nest into a multi-level hierarchical drainage system. Hydrologic units are
defined to allow multiple inlets, outlets, or sinks. In a strict sense, all drainage basins are
hydrologic units but not all hydrologic units are drainage basins.[4]

A drainage divide, water divide, divide, ridgeline,[1] watershed, or water parting is the line
that separates neighbouring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies
along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a single range of hills or mountains, known
as a dividing range. On flat terrain, especially where the ground is marshy, the divide may be
harder to discern.
A valley floor divide is a low drainage divide that runs across a valley, sometimes created by
deposition or stream capture.
Since ridgelines are relatively easy to see and agree about, drainage divides are often natural
borders defining political boundaries, as with the 18th century North America Royal Proclamation
of 1763 that preceded the American Revolution