Studies regarding the application of the impervious cover rate as a watershed management index have increased in number due to concerns over watershed management. The impervious cover rate is suggested as an index that can manage not only water quality but also water volume and the water ecosystem. This study intends to prove its applicability through the interconnection of the impervious cover rate and the water environment in Korea. Analysis of a selected watershed with reference to impervious cover rates showed that a watershed with an impervious cover rate of over 30% had a direct runoff in excess of 60% of precipitation, while a watershed with an impervious cover rate of 7% had a direct runoff of 39%. Watersheds with higher impervious cover rates were also found to have higher BOD, though different watersheds showed slightly different aspects in connection with BOD. Monitoring of benthic macroinvertebrates showed that species inhabiting clean water appear more frequently in areas with lower impervious cover rates than areas with higher impervious cover rates, and in mainstream areas, relatively larger numbers of species appeared in areas with lower impervious cover rates. This suggests that impervious cover rates can be appropriately used as an index for watershed management, as it effectively represents changes to the water environment.