This work represents a sampling from an atlas produced in order to advocate to legislators, policy makers and the public, for design to become an integral component of improving the patterns and materials of practices of urbanism through the lens of water. The research undertaken through WATER+SHEDS brings intensive GIS analytical work together with visual representation techniques in order to reveal the complexities of the contemporary constructed environment and its influence on water quality throughout the Great Lakes Basin. This work establishes a design research agenda for all of the projects that follow.