Intermittent ponds or streams are depicted on maps by which features?

• A. Blue dashes separated by three blue dots for streams and a dashed outline with light blue diagonal hatch for ponds or lakes
• B. Solid blue lines for all water bodies
• C. Red dashed lines with water symbols
• D. Green outlines with hatch marks

Answer: (A)

Maps use color and line style to convey whether water features are always present or only seasonally. For streams that don’t flow all year, a blue dashed line with intermittent spacing (often with tiny blue dots between dashes) shows that flow is irregular or seasonal. For ponds or lakes that aren’t permanent, a dashed outline filled with a light blue diagonal hatch signals that water is present only part of the time, not year-round.

This combination works well because blue is the standard color for water, and the dashed patterns communicate variability in presence without cluttering the map. The other patterns mix in colors or line styles that imply different features (like permanent water with solid blue lines, or non-water features with red or green), so they don’t accurately convey the intermittent nature of these waters.