The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as stated by the "Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)" "Standard" (https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3/). Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. This dataset represents the hydrologic unit boundaries to the 12-digit for the entire United States. Some areas may also include additional subdivisions representing the 14- and 16-digit hydrologic unit (HU). At a minimum, the HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii, Pacific basin and the Caribbean, and 1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Higher resolution boundaries are being developed where partners and data exist and will be incorporated back into the WBD. WBD data are delivered as a dataset of polygons and corresponding lines that define the boundary of the polygon. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications. For additional information on NHD, go to https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography.

The USGS Governmental Unit Boundaries dataset from The National Map (TNM) represents major civil areas for the Nation, including States or Territories, counties (or equivalents), Federal and Native American areas, congressional districts, minor civil divisions, incorporated places (such as cities and towns), and unincorporated places. Boundaries data are useful for understanding the extent of jurisdictional or administrative areas for a wide range of applications, including mapping or managing resources, and responding to natural disasters. Boundaries data also include extents of forest, grassland, park, wilderness, wildlife, and other reserve areas useful for recreational activities, such as hiking and backpacking. Boundaries data are acquired from a variety of government sources. The data represents the source data with minimal editing or review by USGS. Please refer to the feature-level metadata ...

This map service contains the most current version of the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from The National Map (TNM). The WBD defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. These drainage areas or Hydrologic Unit (HU) polygon boundaries are available for the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Upper Mississippi River, will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds.The data is a seamless National representation of HU boundaries from 2 to 14 digits compiled from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) sources. Purpose: This data is intended primarily for geographic display and analysis of regional and national data, and can also be used for illustration purposes at intermediate or small scales (1:250,000 to 1:2,000,000). For additional information on the WBD, go to https://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html.

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from USGS' The National Map (TNM) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Sacramento River, will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Feather River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds. For additional information on the WBD, go to https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/watershed-boundary-dataset. DWR was the steward for NHD and WBD in California. We worked with other organizations to edit and improve NHD and WBD, using the business rules for California. California's WBD improvements are sent to USGS for certification and incorporation to the national geodatabase. The certified WBD is included within the National Hydrography Dataset downloadable file geodatabase, and is also available in shapefile format and as web map services accessible from the USGS website. (https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/national-hydrography/access-national-hydrography-products).

The final static version of the WBD was published in January 2025. No edits to this dataset are being accepted by USGS. Future mapping of drainage areas will be done by USGS as the 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP) is built out. DWR and its stewardship partners are actively producing LiDAR-derived hydrography data for inclusion in the California portion of 3DHP data and eventually its companion set of drainage areas. For now, the WBD is considered the authoritative source for watershed delineations in California.

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point, accounting for all land and surface areas. Watershed Boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. The intent of defining Hydrologic Units (HU) for the Watershed Boundary Dataset is to establish a base-line drainage boundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas. At a minimum, the WBD is being delineated and georeferenced to the USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic base map meeting National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Hydrologic units are given a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC). For example, a hydrologic region has a 2-digit HUC. A HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit."A hydrologic unit is a drainage area delineated to nest in a multi-level, hierarchical drainage system. Its boundaries are defined by hydrographic and topographic criteria that delineate an area of land upstream from a specific point on a river, stream or similar surface waters. A hydrologic unit can accept surface water directly from upstream drainage areas, and indirectly from associated surface areas such as remnant, non-contributing, and diversions to form a drainage area with single or multiple outlet points. Hydrologic units are only synonymous with classic watersheds when their boundaries include all the source area contributing surface water to a single defined outlet point."

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as stated by the "Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)" (https://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3/). Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. This dataset represents the hydrologic unit boundaries to the 12-digit for the entire United States. Some areas may also include additional subdivisions representing the 14- and 16-digit hydrologic unit (HU). At a minimum, the HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii, Pacific basin and the Caribbean, and 1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Higher resolution boundaries were developed where partners and data existed and were incorporated back into the WBD. WBD data are delivered as a dataset of polygons and corresponding lines that define the boundary of the polygon. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications. For additional information on NHD, go to https://www.usgs.gov/national-hydrography.

The National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area (Upper Mississippi River), will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas like the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can be further subdivided into subsequently smaller drainage areas.The intent of defining hydrologic units (HU) for the WBD is to establish a base-line drainage boundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas. The WBD is a comprehensive aggregated collection of HU data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. Each HU is identified by a unique hydrologic unit code (HUC). This service includes HU boundaries for HUC2 (Hydrologic unit boundary), HUC4 (Region), HUC6 (Subregion), HUC8 (Basin), HUC10 (Sub-basin) and HUC12 (Watershed). Pop-ups include HUC name, HUC code and the states that are included in each HU.More information about the WBD can be found at the WBD information site.Click here for information on the Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset.Data for this service can be found here.

Abstract: This file contains Hydrologic Unit (HU) polygon boundaries for the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The data is a seamless National representation of HU boundaries from 2 to 14 digits compiled from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) sources. Purpose: This data is intended primarily for geographic display and analysis of regional and national data, and can also be used for illustration purposes at intermediate or small scales (1:250,000 to 1:2,000,000). See https://apps.nationalmap.gov/help/ for assistance with The National Map viewer, download client, services, or metadata.

This data set is a digital hydrologic unit boundary layer that is at the Subwatershed (12-digit) level. The original data set was developed by delineating the boundary lines on base USGS 1:24000 scale topographic quadrangle, and digitizing the delineated lines. Digital Raster Graphics (DRG) images were used for edits to the data layer.This data set consists of geo-referenced digital map data and attribute data. The spatial data are in a statewide coverage format and include complete coverage of the entire state of Connecticut, and small parts of surrounding states. The hydrologic unit ID code attached to each delineated polygon is linked to the attribute data.

This resource contains a shapefile of HUC-8 (eight digit Hydrologic Unit Codes) for the Continental United States (CONUS).

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as stated by the "Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)" “Standard” (http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3/). Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. This dataset represents the hydrologic unit boundaries to the 12-digit (6th level) for the entire United States. Some areas may also include additional subdivisions representing the 14- and 16-digit hydrologic unit (HU). At a minimum, the HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii, Pacific basin and the Caribbean, and 1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Higher resolution boundaries are being developed where partners and data exist and will be incorporated back into the WBD. WBD data are delivered as a dataset of polygons and corresponding lines that define the boundary of the polygon. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications.

This data set is a complete digital hydrologic unit boundary layer to the Subwatershed (12-digit) 6th level for the State of Iowa. This data set consists of geo-referenced digital data and associated attributes created in accordance with the "FGDC Proposal, Version 1.0 - Federal Standards For Delineation of Hydrologic Unit Boundaries 3/01/02"(http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/huc_data.html). Polygons are attributed with hydrologic unit codes for 4th level sub-basins, 5th level watersheds, 6th level subwatersheds, name, size, downstream hydrologic unit, type of watershed, non-contributing areas and flow modification. Arcs are attributed with the highest hydrologic unit code for each watershed, linesource and a metadata reference file.

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map layer displays the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). The WBD defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area (Upper Mississippi River), will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas like the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can be further subdivided into subsequently smaller drainage areas.The intent of defining hydrologic units (HU) for the WBD is to establish a base-line drainage boundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas. The WBD is a comprehensive aggregated collection of HU data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. Each HU is identified by a unique hydrologic unit code (HUC). This service includes HU boundaries for HUC2 (Regions), HUC4 (Subregions), HUC6 (Basin), HUC8 (Subbasins), HUC10 (Watersheds), HUC12 (Subwatersheds), and HUC14.

This United States Geological Survey (USGS) web map displays the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD). It defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area (Upper Mississippi River), will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas like the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can be further subdivided into subsequently smaller drainage areas.The intent of defining hydrologic units (HU) for the WBD is to establish a base-line drainage boundary framework, accounting for all land and surface areas. The WBD is a comprehensive aggregated collection of HU data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. Each HU is identified by a unique hydrologic unit code (HUC). This service includes HU boundaries for HUC2 (Hydrologic unit boundary), HUC4 (Region), HUC6 (Subregion), HUC8 (Basin), HUC10 (Sub-basin) and HUC12 (Watershed). Pop-ups include HUC name, HUC code and the states that are included in each HU.More information about the WBD can be found at the WBD information site.Click here for information on the Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset.Data for this service can be found here._Other Federal User Community federally focused content that may interest youDepartment of the Interior U.S Geological Survey

Each drainage area is considered a Hydrologic Unit (HU) and is given a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) which serves as the unique identifier for the area. HUC 2s, 6s, 8s, 10s, & 12s, define the drainage Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds and Subwatersheds, respectively, across the United States. Their boundaries are defined by hydrologic and topographic criteria that delineate an area of land upstream from a specific point on a river and are determined solely upon science based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries, special projects, or a particular program or agency. The Watershed Boundary Dataset is delineated and georeferenced to the USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic basemap.Hydrologic Units are delineated to nest in a multi-level, hierarchical drainage system with corresponding HUCs, so that as you move from small scale to large scale the HUC digits increase in increments of two. For example, the very largest HUCs have 2 digits, and thus are referred to as HUC 2s, and the very smallest HUCs have 12 digits, and thus are referred to as HUC 12s.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Watersheds in the United States, as delineated by the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)Geographic Extent: Contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Marianas Islands and American SamoaProjection: Web MercatorUpdate Frequency: AnnualVisible Scale: Visible at all scales, however USGS recommends this dataset should not be used for scales of 1:24,000 or larger.Source: United States Geological Survey (WBD)Data Vintage: January 7, 2025What can you do with this layer?This layer is suitable for both visualization and analysis acrossthe ArcGIS system. This layer can be combined with your data and other layers from the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro to create powerful web maps that can be used alone or in a story map or other application. Because this layer is part of the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World it is easy to add to your map:In ArcGIS Online, you can add this layer to a map by selecting Add then Browse Living Atlas Layers. A window will open. Type "Watershed Boundary Dataset" in the search box and browse to the layer. Select the layer then click Add to Map. In ArcGIS Pro, open a map and select Add Data from the Map Tab. Select Data at the top of the drop down menu. The Add Data dialog box will open on the left side of the box, expand Portal if necessary, then select Living Atlas. Type "Watershed Boundary Dataset" in the search box, browse to the layer then click OK.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

The document explains the differences between the different boundary sets that ONS Geography provides. Valid from 2021. (File Size - 500 KB)

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as stated by the "Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)" “Standard” (http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3/). Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. This dataset represents the hydrologic unit boundaries to the 12-digit (6th level) for the entire United States. Some areas may also include additional subdivisions representing the 14- and 16-digit hydrologic unit (HU). At a minimum, the HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii, Pacific basin and the Caribbean, and 1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Higher resolution boundaries are being developed where partners and data exist and will be incorporated back into the WBD. WBD data are delivered as a dataset of polygons and corresponding lines that define the boundary of the polygon. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications.

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive aggregated collection of hydrologic unit data consistent with the national criteria for delineation and resolution. It defines the areal extent of surface water drainage to a point except in coastal or lake front areas where there could be multiple outlets as stated by the "Federal Standards and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)" “Standard” (http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/11/a3/). Watershed boundaries are determined solely upon science-based hydrologic principles, not favoring any administrative boundaries or special projects, nor particular program or agency. This dataset represents the hydrologic unit boundaries to the 12-digit (6th level) for the entire United States. Some areas may also include additional subdivisions representing the 14- and 16-digit hydrologic unit (HU). At a minimum, the HUs are delineated at 1:24,000-scale in the conterminous United States, 1:25,000-scale in Hawaii, Pacific basin and the Caribbean, and 1:63,360-scale in Alaska, meeting the National Map Accuracy Standards (NMAS). Higher resolution boundaries are being developed where partners and data exist and will be incorporated back into the WBD. WBD data are delivered as a dataset of polygons and corresponding lines that define the boundary of the polygon. WBD polygon attributes include hydrologic unit codes (HUC), size (in the form of acres and square kilometers), name, downstream hydrologic unit code, type of watershed, non-contributing areas, and flow modifications. The HUC describes where the unit is in the country and the level of the unit. WBD line attributes contain the highest level of hydrologic unit for each boundary, line source information and flow modifications.

This child item provides a snapshot of the watershed boundary dataset which consists of a shapefile with 87,020 12-digit hydrologic unit codes (HUC12) for the conterminous United States retrieved 10/26/2020. The National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that represents the surface drainages areas of the United States. Although versions of the WBD are published as part of U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrography Products, the version used to produce the water-use reanalysis was not archived and is provided here. This dataset is part of a larger data release using machine learning to predict public supply water use for 12-digit hydrologic units from 2000-2020. Public-supply water use estimates for the HUC12s included in this shapefile are provided on the data release main landing page and on the public supply water use machine learning model child item. This page includes the following file: WBD_HUC12_CONUS_pulled10262020.zip - a zip file containing a shapefile with 12-digit hydrologic units in the conterminous United States

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) from The National Map (TNM) defines the perimeter of drainage areas formed by the terrain and other landscape characteristics. The drainage areas are nested within each other so that a large drainage area, such as the Upper Mississippi River, will be composed of multiple smaller drainage areas, such as the Wisconsin River. Each of these smaller areas can further be subdivided into smaller and smaller drainage areas. The WBD uses six different levels in this hierarchy, with the smallest averaging about 30,000 acres. The WBD is made up of polygons nested into six levels of data respectively defined by Regions, Subregions, Basins, Subbasins, Watersheds, and Subwatersheds. For additional information on the WBD, go to http://nhd.usgs.gov/wbd.html. The USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) service is a companion dataset to the WBD. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that encodes information about naturally occurring and constructed bodies of surface water (lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), paths through which water flows (canals, ditches, streams, and rivers), and related entities such as point features (springs, wells, stream gages, and dams). The information encoded about these features includes classification and other characteristics, delineation, geographic name, position and related measures, a "reach code" through which other information can be related to the NHD, and the direction of water flow. The network of reach codes delineating water and transported material flow allows users to trace movement in upstream and downstream directions. In addition to this geographic information, the dataset contains metadata that supports the exchange of future updates and improvements to the data. The NHD is available nationwide in two seamless datasets, one based on 1:24,000-scale maps and referred to as high resolution NHD, and the other based on 1:100,000-scale maps and referred to as medium resolution NHD. Additional selected areas in the United States are available based on larger scales, such as 1:5,000-scale or greater, and referred to as local resolution NHD. For more information on the NHD, go to http://nhd.usgs.gov/index.html. Hydrography data from The National Map supports many applications, such as making maps, geocoding observations, flow modeling, data maintenance, and stewardship. Hydrography data is commonly combined with other data themes, such as boundaries, elevation, structures, and transportation, to produce general reference base maps. The National Map viewer allows free downloads of public domain WBD and NHD data in either Esri File or Personal Geodatabase, or Shapefile formats.

This dataset is the digital hydrologic unit boundary layer for the 8-digit subwatershed boundaries for the conterminous United States. This dataset is intended to be used with the following two tabular dBase files: https://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?ds573_tillage_lu92e and https://water.usgs.gov/lookup/getspatial?ds573_tillage_lu01. The two tabular datasets contain the Tillage Practices in the Conterminous United States, 1989-2004---Datasets Aggregated by Watershed. This dataset and the two tabular datasets can be linked using the common attribute HUC8_N. Information about how the tabular data and geospatial data can be related are given in the data series report: https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/ds573/ .The original dataset is the 12-digit Subwatershed boundaries (WBD_archive_17nov2009_9.2_file). The 12-digit boundaries were dissolved to 8-digit boundaries to be used with the two tabular .dbase data files containing the tillage practice data for the United States. ORIGINAL METADATA: This data set is a complete digital hydrologic unit boundary layer to the Subwatershed (12-digit) 6th level for the entire United States. This data set consists of geo-referenced digital data and associated attributes created in accordance with the "Federal Guidelines, Requirements, and Procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset; Chapter 3 of Section A, Federal Standards, Book 11, Collection and Delineation of Spatial Data; Techniques and Methods 11-A3" (04/01/2009). http://www.ncgc.nrcs.usda.gov/products/datasets/watershed/index.html . Polygons are attributed with hydrologic unit codes for 4th level sub-basins, 5th level watersheds, 6th level subwatersheds, name, size, downstream hydrologic unit, type of watershed, non-contributing areas and flow modification.