diff --git a/dataretrieval/streamstats.py b/dataretrieval/streamstats.py
index 7cddabaa..9ae9339c 100644
--- a/dataretrieval/streamstats.py
+++ b/dataretrieval/streamstats.py
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 
 """
 
-import json
-
 import requests
 
 
@@ -58,7 +56,7 @@ def get_sample_watershed():
         from the streamstats JSON object.
 
     """
-    return get_watershed("NY", -74.524, 43.939)
+    return get_watershed("NY", -74.524, 43.939, format="watershed")
 
 
 def get_watershed(
@@ -72,14 +70,13 @@ def get_watershed(
     simplify=True,
     format="geojson",
 ):
-    """Get watershed object based on location
+    """Delineate a watershed via the StreamStats API.
 
-    **Streamstats documentation:**
-    Returns a watershed object. The request configuration will determine the
-    overall request response. However all returns will return a watershed
-    object with at least the workspaceid. The workspace id is the id to the
-    service workspace where files are stored and can be used for further
-    processing such as for downloads and flow statistic computations.
+    Hits the StreamStats ``watershed.geojson`` endpoint and returns the
+    delineated watershed in one of three shapes selected by ``format``: the
+    raw ``requests.Response`` (default), the parsed JSON ``dict``, or a
+    :obj:`Watershed` instance. Every response carries a workspace identifier
+    that can be passed to :obj:`download_workspace` for further processing.
 
     See: https://streamstats.usgs.gov/streamstatsservices/#/ for more
     information.
@@ -105,12 +102,17 @@ def get_watershed(
     simplify: bool, optional
         Boolean flag controlling whether or not to simplify the returned
         result.
+    format: string, optional
+        Selects the return shape. ``"geojson"`` (default) returns the raw
+        ``requests.Response``; ``"object"`` returns the parsed JSON ``dict``;
+        ``"watershed"`` returns a :obj:`Watershed` instance built from the
+        parsed JSON. Any other value raises ``ValueError``.
 
     Returns
     -------
-    Watershed: :obj:`dataretrieval.streamstats.Watershed`
-        Custom object that contains the watershed information as extracted
-        from the streamstats JSON object.
+    requests.Response, dict, or :obj:`dataretrieval.streamstats.Watershed`
+        Watershed information from StreamStats. The exact return type
+        depends on ``format`` (see above).
 
     """
     payload = {
@@ -132,30 +134,52 @@ def get_watershed(
     if format == "geojson":
         return r
 
-    if format == "shape":
-        # use Fiona to return a shape object
-        pass
+    data = r.json()
 
     if format == "object":
-        # return a python object
-        pass
+        return data
+
+    if format == "watershed":
+        return Watershed.from_streamstats_json(data)
 
-    data = json.loads(r.text)
-    return Watershed.from_streamstats_json(data)
+    raise ValueError(
+        f"Invalid format {format!r}; expected 'geojson', 'object', or 'watershed'."
+    )
 
 
 class Watershed:
-    """Class to extract information from the streamstats JSON object."""
+    """Class to extract information from the streamstats JSON object.
 
-    @classmethod
-    def from_streamstats_json(cls, streamstats_json):
-        """Method that creates a Watershed object from a streamstats JSON."""
-        cls.watershed_point = streamstats_json["featurecollection"][0]["feature"]
-        cls.watershed_polygon = streamstats_json["featurecollection"][1]["feature"]
-        cls.parameters = streamstats_json["parameters"]
-        cls._workspaceID = streamstats_json["workspaceID"]
-        return cls
+    Attributes
+    ----------
+    watershed_point : dict
+        GeoJSON feature for the watershed pour point.
+    watershed_polygon : dict
+        GeoJSON feature for the delineated watershed polygon.
+    parameters : list
+        Watershed parameters returned by StreamStats.
+    workspace_id : str
+        StreamStats workspace identifier for the watershed.
+    """
 
     def __init__(self, rcode, xlocation, ylocation):
-        """Init method that calls the :obj:`from_streamstats_json` method."""
-        get_watershed(rcode, xlocation, ylocation)
+        """Delineate a watershed and populate the instance from the response."""
+        data = get_watershed(rcode, xlocation, ylocation, format="object")
+        self._populate_from_json(data)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_streamstats_json(cls, streamstats_json):
+        """Construct a :obj:`Watershed` from a StreamStats JSON response."""
+        instance = cls.__new__(cls)
+        instance._populate_from_json(streamstats_json)
+        return instance
+
+    def _populate_from_json(self, streamstats_json):
+        self.watershed_point = streamstats_json["featurecollection"][0]["feature"]
+        self.watershed_polygon = streamstats_json["featurecollection"][1]["feature"]
+        self.parameters = streamstats_json["parameters"]
+        self.workspace_id = streamstats_json["workspaceID"]
+
+    @property
+    def _workspaceID(self):
+        return self.workspace_id
diff --git a/tests/streamstats_test.py b/tests/streamstats_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..31a389f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/streamstats_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+"""Tests for the streamstats module."""
+
+from dataretrieval.streamstats import Watershed
+
+SAMPLE_JSON = {
+    "featurecollection": [
+        {"name": "globalwatershedpoint", "feature": {"type": "Feature", "id": "pt-1"}},
+        {"name": "globalwatershed", "feature": {"type": "Feature", "id": "poly-1"}},
+    ],
+    "parameters": [{"code": "DRNAREA", "value": 41.2}],
+    "workspaceID": "NY20240101000000000",
+}
+
+
+def test_from_streamstats_json_does_not_mutate_class():
+    """Two watersheds must not share state via class-level attributes."""
+    other_json = {
+        "featurecollection": [
+            {"feature": {"id": "pt-2"}},
+            {"feature": {"id": "poly-2"}},
+        ],
+        "parameters": [{"code": "OTHER", "value": 1.0}],
+        "workspaceID": "VT20240101000000000",
+    }
+    w1 = Watershed.from_streamstats_json(SAMPLE_JSON)
+    w2 = Watershed.from_streamstats_json(other_json)
+
+    assert w1.workspace_id == "NY20240101000000000"
+    assert w2.workspace_id == "VT20240101000000000"
+    assert w1.parameters[0]["code"] == "DRNAREA"
+    assert w2.parameters[0]["code"] == "OTHER"
+    assert w1.watershed_point["id"] == "pt-1"
+    assert w2.watershed_point["id"] == "pt-2"