Buzzards Bay:

• Is 28 miles long, averages about 8 miles in width, and has a mean depth of 36 feet;
  
  
• Has 280 miles of shoreline including 11 miles of public beaches;
  
  
• Has 30 major harbors and coves;
  
  
• Along its western shore, has 7 major rivers and a number of small streams that flow in to it, including the Westport, Paskamansett, Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Weweantic, Wankinco, and Agawam;
  
  
• The eastern (Cape Cod) shore is drained mostly by groundwater and a few small streams including the Back, Pocasset, and Wild Harbor Rivers, and Herring Brook;
  
  
• Water temperatures range from 71.6°F in summer to 28°F in winter. Complete tidal mixing of Bay water with offshore Atlantic Ocean water is estimated to occur every 10 days.
  

the watershed:

• Is all the land area that drains to a given body of water. We all live in a watershed;
  
  
• The Buzzards Bay watershed is 432 square miles in size: twice the size of the Bay itself;
  
  
• Contains all or large parts of the towns of Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Rochester, Mattapoisett, Marion, Wareham, Carver, Plymouth, Bourne, Falmouth, and Gosnold; smaller parts of Tiverton, Fall River, Freetown and Middleborough also drain to the Bay;
  
  
• 65% of the Bay watershed is undeveloped forestland, farms and wetlands;
  
  
• 15% is developed for residential, commercial and industrial uses;
  
  
• 10% is protected open space;
  
  
• Approximately 360,000 people reside in the Buzzards Bay watershed.