The Ontario Watershed Information Tool (OWIT) is used to calculate information about Ontario’s watersheds. Watersheds are areas of land where surface water converges to a single point. Water professionals in the public and private sectors and academia use OWIT to better understand water flow in Ontario. The general public use OWIT for educational or general interest purposes. You can use the tool to: * create a map of a watershed * characterize the watershed * extract land cover information

Click a region in Map Viewer above or use the text links below to download. The region will also show the "Effective Date" or the date when the data was last processed. Ontario Integrated Hydrology (OIH) Data is used to generate watersheds and support provincial-scale hydrology applications like:

watershed generation hydrologic modelling watercourse network analysis

Five key datasets are included in each data package:

stream network (Enhanced Watercourse) hydrology-enforced digital elevation model DEM flow direction grid (Enhanced Flow Direction) raster representation of the stream network (StreamGrid) water bodies on the stream network (Integrated Waterbodies)

Technical information OIH data is available for the entire province making it possible to create a watershed for any location in Ontario. This includes areas flowing in from neighbouring provinces and Minnesota with the following exceptions:

points on the international border that drain to Lake Superior, south of Pigeon River points on the international border that drain the Great Lakes connecting channels and St. Lawrence River stateside points along the Ottawa River that drain from Quebec.

Special Note: North West package The North West package contains hydrography data for the entire Rainy River Basin, an area which straddles the international border between Canada and the United States.

The data stateside originates from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as of February/March 2014. This data has been harmonized with the Ontario Hydro Network (OHN) to create the Enhanced Watercourse and Integrated Waterbody layers found within the North West package.

For more information on when the data was initially extracted and incorporated, refer to these fields stored in the attribute table of each vector layer in the geodatabase:

Effective Date (EFF_DATE) Geometry Update Date (GEO_UPD_DT)

The data stateside is a static snapshot of NHD intended to support regional modeling. Please refer to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website for the most current version of NHD.

Product Packages

Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - Far North Central 1 Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - Far North Central 2 Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - Far North East Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - Far North West Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - North Central Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - North East Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - North West Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - South East Ontario integrated hydrology data - Package - South West

Additional Documentation

Ontario Integrated Hydrology - User Guide (Word) Ontario Integrated Hydrology - Data Packages Extent (PDF)Ontario Integrated Hydrology - Reference Data Index (Geodatabase)

Status Completed: Production of the data has been completed

Maintenance and Update Frequency Irregular: data is updated in intervals that are uneven in duration. Data is updated after the completion of major updates to source data (eg. OHN and/or PDEM).

Contact Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Geospatial Ontario, geospatial@ontario.ca

Revision Note: Please note that this dataset has been revised and is available from the Land Information Ontario (LIO) Warehouse.

The Ontario Integrated Hydrology Data Package is a collection of related elevation and mapped water features that are used in combination for generating watersheds and to support hydrology applications. The integrated hydrology data is complete for the entire province making it possible to create a watershed for any location in Ontario. There are four key datasets represented by this collection:

1) a stream network (Enhanced Watercourse)

2) a hydrology-enforced DEM (Stream Enforced DEM)

3) a flow direction grid (Enhanced Flow Direction - EFDIR)

4) a raster representation of the stream network (StreamGrid)

There are also some useful reference datasets included to provide some context and information about these data sets.

Retirement note: please note that this dataset has been retired and replaced by Ontario Integrated Hydrology Data, which is available from the Land Information Ontario (LIO) Warehouse.

HYDAT is a water database containing data on daily and monthly means of flow, water levels and sediment concentrations (for sediment sites).

This data is stored as series of shapefiles. The spatial layer symbolizes known HYDAT FLOW gauge locations that are part of the Environment Canada/Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Cost Share agreement. For each of these gauges, there is a shapefile containing a watershed. The name of the watershed shapefile contains the StationID of the gauge. Watershed boundaries were defined using NRVIS data and the Provincial Digital Elevation Model produced by the Water Resources Information Program (WRIP).

A separate MS Access database stores a series of watershed characteristics that can be linked to the shapefiles. These characteristics include;

• watershed area
• watershed perimeter
• lake area
• wetland area
• other water area (double line streams, reservoirs)
• terrestrial area
• reach slope
• length of longest stream
• longest stream slope
• stream order
• gauge elevation
• geolgy summary
• landcover summary
• length of all streams
• and number of first order streams

Supplementary data in shapefile and tabular format can be used and are available for download from the additional documentation section.

The 2012 NPCA Watershed Report Card consists of 8 Watershed Planning Area (WPA) sections which contain 44 individual report cards. Each section provides information on Watershed Characteristics, Stewardship Highlights, and Groundwater. In addition, within each WPA the NPCA assesses and grades surface water quality and forest conditions. Surface water quality indicators include total phosphorus, bacteria (E. coli) and benthic invertebrate community. Forest condition indicators include percent forest cover, percent forest interior, and percent riparian zone forested. The NPCA has used the best available data to produce these Report Cards. This Watershed Report Card does not include grades for the entire NPCA watershed because there was limited data available. These watersheds include the Welland Canal watershed and many small watersheds that drain into Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. These watersheds are marked as insufficient data on all mapping in the NPCA Watershed Report Card.

Companies or organizations who take over 50,000 litres of water/day from a lake, river, stream or groundwater source, must obtain a Permit to Take Water from the Ministry of the Environment -with a few exceptions.

Permit holders are legally required to record how much water they take each day.

Data includes:

• purpose
• location
• water source (e.g., ground or surface)
• maximum amount allowed per day
• permit number
• expiry date of the permit

Permitted water-taking map

Create a map for a water-taking application

Ontario Integrated Hydrology (OIH) data is used to generate watersheds and support provincial-scale hydrology applications including: * watershed generation * hydrologic modelling * watercourse network analysis Four key datasets are represented in each data package: * stream network (Enhanced Watercourse) * hydrology-enforced digital elevation model DEM * flow direction grid (Enhanced Flow Direction - EFDIR) * raster representation of the stream network (StreamGrid) Technical information For the first time, OIH data is complete for the entire province making it possible to create a watershed for any location in Ontario. This includes areas flowing in from neighbouring provinces and Minnesota with the following exceptions: * points on the international border that drain to Lake Superior, south of Pigeon River * points on the international border that drain the Great Lakes connecting channels and St. Lawrence River stateside * points along the Ottawa River that drain from Quebec Special note: North West package The North West package contains hydrography data for the entire Rainy River Basin, an area which straddles the international border between Canada and the United States. The data stateside originates from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) as of February/March 2014. This data has been harmonized with the Ontario Hydro Network (OHN) to create the Enhanced Watercourse and Integrated Waterbody layers found within the North West package. For more information on when the data was initially extracted and incorporated, refer to these fields stored in the attribute table of each vector layer in the geodatabase: * Effective Date (EFF_DATE) * Geometry Update Date (GEO_UPD_DT) The data stateside is a static snapshot of NHD intended to support regional modeling. Please refer to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website for the most current version of NHD. Data is updated after the completion of major updates to source data (such as OHN and/or the Provincial DEM).

Click Here for Metadata. Cartographic Watershed Boundaries. This layer contains Conservation Halton watersheds clipped to the jurisdictional boundary of the Conservation Authority. The internal limits of the watershed boundaries are scientifically defensible and valid, however, portions of the watershed polygon may have been modified to stay within the jurisdictional limit of the CA. There is the potential that the watershed polygons may have been modified (i.e., clipped) from the originally scientifically defensible boundary to make this dataset. The original watershed boundaries were defined as part of the Source Water Protection Areas delineation with MOE. For this dataset the following applies: The watershed boundaries represent a scientifically defensible delineation of Conservation Halton's watersheds using ArcHydro for analysis. This study was completed in October 2007 using primarily 2002 FBS data and represents the most recent delineation of watersheds. Adjoining catchments from the ArcHydro analysis to form watersheds and subwatershed for the reaches in Conservation Halton's jurisdiction. Catchment analysis was preformed with a 5 ha minimum drainage area on a DEM with a cell size of 5 m².The progression of feature creation for CH watersheds is as follows: ArcHydro delineated catchments are dissolved to delineate subwatersheds as per CH Subwatershed Studies which are then dissolved to represent individual watersheds (Bronte, Grindstone, etc.) within the jurisdiction of Conservation Halton.The catchment boundary limits with surrounding Conservation Authorities are still draft with respect to each other and are currently under review. Most boundary limits for Conservation Halton have been derived from hydrological surface modelling in ArcHydro. Please be advised that some boundary extents represent political boundaries rather than scientifically proven limits. All studies completed using this data at CH boundary limits should acquire the neighbouring CA boundary limit from the appropriate CA.

This dataset represents single station flood frequency estimates for the Water Survey of Canada’s (WSC) HYDAT gauges in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence watershed systems that lie within the Province of Ontario.Statistics include the flood magnitude with the following recurrence intervals:

1:2 years 1:2.33 years 1: 5 years 1:10 years 1:20 years 1:25 years 1:50 years 1:100 years 1:200 years 1: 500 years These flood statistics can be used for applications such as floodplain delineation and the design of hydraulic structures.

Additional Documentation

Flood Flow Statistics - Technical Release Documentation (PDF) Status Completed: production of the data has been completed

Maintenance and Update Frequency
Not planned: there are no plans to update the data

Contact
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Geospatial Ontario, geospatial@ontario.ca

The snowpack has been sampled during both the accumulation and ablation stages at as many as 13 sites within the Turkey Lakes Watershed, Algoma, central Ontario, Canada since 1980, although more quantitative surveys began in 1989. Snow depth and a physical description of snowpack have been recorded at each station. Snow density, water equivalent and chemistry (major ions, pH and nutrients) have been determined. Since 2012, chemistry has only been completed on up to three sites although snow density and water equivalent have been measured at the others. The project completed in 2019. Supplemental Information The Climate Change and Air Pollution (CCAP) program was established in 2016 to identify the severity and extent of adverse impacts of current and future air emissions on aquatic ecosystems to support regulatory actions and policy development. The program includes a number of components, including identifying, monitoring and defining air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) concerns; improving our understanding of the short- and long-term effects of atmospheric pollutants on the environment; developing a plan to combat climate change; and monitoring and reducing both domestic and transboundary emissions of GHGs. The program is also responsible for identifying and studying emerging issues including multipollutant impacts, major urban sources, and effects of increasing heat on air pollutant formation, among others. On-going cooperation and support with the Provinces and Territories, international governments and organizations and academia are vital to deliver these priorities to Canadians. Supporting Projects: Climate Change and Air Pollutants (CCAP)

Logistic regression modelsa,b,c assessing the association between source type, location type, and the occurrence of select plasmid incompatibility types and antimicrobial resistance genes in phenotypically resistant Escherichia coli isolates from wildlife and soil samples collected on swine farms and conservation areas in southern Ontario, 2011−2013 (n = 146, dataset B).

DATA IS SUBJECT TO OPEN DATA LICENCE This layer is subject to the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) Open Data Licence v1. For a full description of data being provided, data licencing uses and restrictions, and copyright details, see Metadata Record and data Licence provide within the download zip file. Persons or Agencies downloading from this site are responsible for reading and abiding to information contained within the Licence provided.UTRCA Subwatersheds Boundaries based on LiDAR 2017 defines ground surface watersheds/catchments that are associated to watercourses that are open, closed (buried) or associated to overland flow (ephemeral flow). Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) subwatersheds are defined for watershed management purposes. Corridor drainage areas along main watercourse are divided to assist in allowing for watershed based analysis and reporting. Subwatersheds may incorporate urban storm water or sewage systems main pipelines but are not inclusive of all urban systems

Click Here for Metadata. Subwatershed Boundaries. This layer contains Conservation Halton subwatersheds clipped to the jurisdictional boundary of the Conservation Authority. The internal limits of the subwatershed boundaries are scientifically defensible and valid, however, portions of the subwatershed polygons may have been modified to stay within the jurisdictional limit of the CA. There is the potential that the subwatershed polygons may have been modified (i.e., clipped) from the originally scientifically defensible boundary to make this dataset. The original subwatershed boundaries were defined as part of the Source Water Protection Areas delineation with MOE. For this dataset the following applies: The subwatershed boundaries represent a delineation of Conservation Halton's subwatersheds created using ArcHydro for analysis. This study was completed in October 2007 using primarily 2002 FBS data and represents the most recent delineation of watersheds. Adjoining catchments from the ArcHydro analysis to form watersheds and subwatershed for the reaches in Conservation Halton's jurisdiction. Catchment analysis was preformed with a 5 ha minimum drainage area on a DEM with a cell size of 5 m².The progression of feature creation for CH watersheds/subwatershed is as follows: ArcHydro delineated catchments are dissolved to delineate subwatersheds as per CH Subwatershed Studies which are then dissolved to represent individual watersheds (Bronte, Grindstone, etc.) within the jurisdiction of Conservation Halton.The catchment boundary limits with surrounding Conservation Authorities are still draft with respect to each other and are currently under review. Most boundary limits for Conservation Halton have been derived from hydrological surface modelling in ArcHydro. Please be advised that some boundary extents represent political boundaries rather than scientifically proven limits. All studies completed using this data at CH boundary limits should acquire the neighbouring CA boundary limit from the appropriate CA.

Entity Name: SW Significant Groundwater Recharge AreaTable Name: SignificantGroundwaterRechargeAreaAn area can be considered a significant groundwater recharge area if (1) the area annually recharges water to the underlying aquifer at a rate that is greater than the rate of recharge across the whole of the related groundwater recharge area by a factor of 1.15 or more; or (2) the area annually recharges a volume of water to the underlying aquifer that is 55% or more of the volume determined by subtracting the annual evapotranspiration for the whole of the related groundwater recharge area from the annual precipitation for the whole of the related groundwater recharge area.#ATTRIBUTE/COLUMN NAMEDATATYPEREQDESCRIPTION1OBJECTIDOBJECTIDNUMBER(13)YesA unique numeric identifier assigned to each feature.2Source Protection Area IDSPP_IDNUMBER(2)YesIdentifier for the source protection area that provided the original data about the feature. SPP_ID values range from 0 to 48 chosen from Lookup Table: SOURCE_PROT_AREA_LIST.3Vulnerability ScoreVULNERABILITY_SCORENUMBER(1)YesRanges from 2, 4 or 6, with 6 being most vulnerable. Technical rules outline how to assign this, typically based on the Time of Travel zone and/or the relative Vulnerability Level.4Effective DatetimeEFFECTIVE_DATETIMEDATEYesDate/time the record was created or last modified in the source database.5SHAPESHAPESDO_GEOMETRYYesGeometry attribute.Clipping SGRAs The jurisdictional identification of SGRA was approved by the SPC. However, Technical Rule (45) requires that “an area shall NOT be delineated as a SGRA area unless the area has a hydrological connection to a surface water body or aquifer that is a source of drinking water for a drinking water system.” This includes private systems (O. Reg. 170/03). This Technical Rule introduces the idea of clipping out SGRAs that are of no significance from a drinking water point of view, since it would not make practical sense to protect them. These areas may be important in other contexts, but they are not considered significant under the CWA. In the CTC Region, the SGRA located within the municipal service boundary that are on the Lake Ontario shoreline and sourced from Lake Ontario have been clipped out if no drinking water systems (as defined in the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002) depend on those SGRAs.

Description: A modified headwater drainage feature (HDF) sampling approach was completed at road crossings within the Headwaters subwatershed of the Etobicoke Creek watershed based on the guidelines outlined in the Constrained Headwater Sampling module of the Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol (S4. M10; Stanfield et al. 2017). Ninety-seven HDF sites were sampled in May 2020 to classify the flow condition, type of feature, and incidental presence or absence of fish at each site. Last Updated: On day of collection, May 20-26, 2020 Data Source: Field-collected using Survey123

Click here for metadata. The Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network (OBBN) is an environmental tool designed to use benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms as indicators of stream health. It is a standard Provincial program co-operatively developed by Environment Canada Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN), Environment Canada National Water Research Institute (NWRI), and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE). The monitoring of this network will help us to identify any environmental problems that affect our local watersheds and subwatersheds. This dataset includes active OBBN sites within the Quinte watershed.