On the national level, North Carolina has done the most to integrate nonpoint and point source efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is placing a high priority on effluent trading to achieve water quality standards and is assisting states to promote watershed management by making grant money available. In Wisconsin, EPA is helping to fund the New Richmond watershed project. An area of land in which water drains to a common point. In Wisconsin watersheds vary in scale from major river systems to small creek drainage areas and typically range in size from 100 to 300 square miles.
River basins encompass several watersheds.
Wisconsin has 32 river basins that range in size from 500 to over 5,000 square miles.