The Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB) collection represents the authoritative watershed boundaries for Ontario. The data is based on a framework similar to the Atlas of Canada Fundamental Drainage Areas and the United States Watershed Boundary Dataset, however it adopts a more stringent scientific approach to watershed delineation. The Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB) collection includes five data classes:OWB Main (OWB) (Download: Shapefile | File Geodatabase | Open Data Service | QGIS Layer )all watershed levels from primary to quaternary, and level 5 and 6 watersheds for select areas of the province;OWB Primary (OWBPRIM) (Download: SHP | FGDB | ODS | QLR-Diverted Flow | QLR-Natural Flow)all primary watersheds or major drainage areas (WSCMDA) in the Canadian classification;OWB Secondary (OWBSEC) (Download: SHP | FGDB | ODS | QLR*)all secondary watersheds or sub drainage areas (WSCSDA);OWB Tertiary (OWBTERT) (Download: SHP | FGDB | ODS | QLR*)all tertiary watersheds or sub-sub drainage areas (WSCSSDA);OWB Quaternary (OWBQUAT) (Download: SHP | FGDB | ODS | QLR)all quaternary watersheds or 6-digit drainage areas (WSC6).*Display issues in QGIS are currently being investigated for these services. See the RSS feed below for details.IMPORTANT NOTE: The OWB data replaces the following data classes:Provincial Watersheds, HistoricalAdditional DocumentationUser Guide for Ontario Watershed Boundaries (Word)Watershed Delineation Principles and Guidelines for Ontario (Word) Atlas of Canada 1,000,000 National Frameworks Data, Hydrology - Fundamental Drainage Areas United States Geological Survey Watershed Boundary Dataset (Website)

Status Completed: Production of the data has been completed

Maintenance and Update Frequency Irregular: data is updated in intervals that are uneven in duration - usually after the completion of major updates to source data (e.g. OIH), but could also include spot updates and expansion of the dataset over time based on user needs. RSS FeedFollow our feed to get the latest announcements and developments concerning our watersheds. Visit our feed at the bottom of our ArcGIS Online OWB page.

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

This collection represents the authoritative watershed boundaries for Ontario. The data is based on a framework similar to the Atlas of Canada Fundamental Drainage Areas and the United States Watershed Boundary Dataset, however it adopts a more stringent scientific approach to watershed delineation. The Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB) collection includes five data classes: * OWB main: all levels from primary to quaternary and 5th and 6th levels in select areas * OWB primary: all primary watersheds or major drainage areas in the Canadian classification * OWB secondary: all secondary watersheds or sub drainage areas * OWB tertiary: all tertiary watersheds or sub sub drainage areas * OWB quaternary: all quaternary watersheds or 6-digit drainage areas. The OWB data replaces the following data classes: * Provincial Watersheds, Historical

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

Note: This data has been replaced by the Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB). We are no longer updating this data. It is best suited for historical research and analysis. A watershed, also known as a catchment basin, includes all land that is drained by a watercourse and its tributaries. Watersheds are split into four categories: * primary * secondary * tertiary * quaternary These divisions are based on the federal framework originally known as the Water Resources Index Inventory Filing System. Ontario has 3 primary watersheds: * Great Lakes – St. Lawrence * Southwestern Hudson Bay * Nelson River Secondary watersheds are subdivisions of primary watersheds in Ontario. Most secondary divisions are either large river systems or groupings of small coastal streams. Tertiary watersheds are subdivisions of secondary watersheds in Ontario. Quaternary watersheds are subdivisions of tertiary watersheds. There are more than 1000 quaternary watersheds in Ontario.

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).

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

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

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin is divided into the following five watersheds, each of which consists of the area described by the regulations:

• 1. The Lake Superior watershed
• 2. The Lake Huron watershed
• 3. The Lake Erie watershed
• 4. The Lake Ontario watershed
• 5. The St. Lawrence River watershed. 2007, c. 12, s. 1 (12).

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin watersheds are defined in Section 34.5(2) of the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA).

The Great Lake divisions are derived from the Provincial Watersheds of Ontario (eg. the Secondary and Quaternary Watershed definitions), which are based on the Natural Resources Canada / Water Survey of Canada 'Drainage Area' reporting framework originally known as the Water Resources Index Inventory Filing System (1922). For more information, please refer to the metadata for the Secondary Watersheds of Ontario.

This collection represents the authoritative watershed boundaries for Ontario. The data is based on a framework similar to the Atlas of Canada Fundamental Drainage Areas and the United States Watershed Boundary Dataset, however it adopts a more stringent scientific approach to watershed delineation. The Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB) collection includes five data classes: * OWB main: all levels from primary to quaternary and 5th and 6th levels in select areas * OWB primary: all primary watersheds or major drainage areas in the Canadian classification * OWB secondary: all secondary watersheds or sub drainage areas * OWB tertiary: all tertiary watersheds or sub sub drainage areas * OWB quaternary: all quaternary watersheds or 6-digit drainage areas. The OWB data replaces the following data classes: * Provincial Watersheds, Historical

Data includes: * The Lake Superior watershed * The Lake Huron watershed * The Lake Erie watershed * The Lake Ontario watershed * The St. Lawrence River watershed

Note: this Watershed, Primary data has been replaced by the Ontario Watershed Boundaries. A watershed, also known as a catchment basin, includes all land that is drained by a watercourse and its tributaries. Watersheds are split into four categories: * primary * secondary * tertiary * quaternary Ontario has three primary watersheds: * Great Lakes – St. Lawrence * Southwestern Hudson Bay * Nelson River These divisions are based on the federal framework originally known as the Water Resources Index Inventory Filing System.

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.

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

Natural cover includes areas that have been mapped as woodlands (including plantations and hedgerows), wetlands and other rare vegetative cover communities.

Data here represent areas outlined in the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan Policy 6.48 (June 2011).

This product requires the use of GIS software.

*[GIS]: geographic information system

This boundary is used in the management of watershed-based planning by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). It is used to support the Lake Simcoe Protection Act (LSPA). Instructions for downloading this dataset: * select the link below and scroll down the metadata record page until you find Transfer Options in the Distribution Information section * select the link beside the Data for download label * you must provide your name, organization and email address in order to access the dataset This product requires the use of GIS software. *[LSPA]: Lake Simcoe Protection Act *[GIS]: geographic information system *[LSRCA]: Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

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.

Click here for metadata. These features represent the boundaries of the Moira River, Prince Edward Region and the Napanee Region watersheds, which together form the current extent of the Quinte Conservation watershed.

Note: This data has been replaced by the Ontario Watershed Boundaries (OWB). We are no longer updating this data. It is best suited for historical research and analysis. A watershed, also known as a catchment basin, includes all land that is drained by a watercourse and its tributaries. Watersheds are split into four categories: * primary * secondary * tertiary * quaternary These divisions are based on the federal framework originally known as the Water Resources Index Inventory Filing System. Ontario has 3 primary watersheds: * Great Lakes – St. Lawrence * Southwestern Hudson Bay * Nelson River Secondary watersheds are subdivisions of primary watersheds in Ontario. Most secondary divisions are either large river systems or groupings of small coastal streams. Tertiary watersheds are subdivisions of secondary watersheds in Ontario. Quaternary watersheds are subdivisions of tertiary watersheds. There are more than 1000 quaternary watersheds in Ontario.

Rivers included in this map series include:

Albany Winisk Severn Moose Ekwana Attawapiskat

The maps display gauging systems such as cost share agreement gauges, Water Survey of Canada gauging stations and Meteorological Survey of Canada Climate stations. Dams, their jurisdictional owners and Far North First Nations communities are included.

Additional Documentation

Map showing the six different river systems covered in this product (PDF)

Status

Completed: Production of the data has been completed

Maintenance and Update Frequency

Not Stated

Contact

Surface Water Monitoring Centre, Regional Operations Division, Surface.Water@ontario.ca

Click to view Metadata Scientific Watersheds was created over the span of several years. The watersheds are updated as CLOCA re-delineates/updates its watershed boundaries using Arc Hydro.