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STREAMCAT - DATASET OF WATERSHED CHARACTERISTICS
Background
Protecting the Nation's waters is
a top priority of the EPA.
Through EPA's Safe and
Sustainable Water Resources
Program, science and innovative
technologies are providing for
maintenance and protection of
the chemical, biological, and
physical integrity of water
resources and systems. Within
this framework, researchers have
developed StreamCat to help
assess aquatic condition and
watershed integrity of the
streams of the contiguous US.
StreamCat (Stream-Catchment)
is a centralized, high quality
dataset of watershed
characteristics that builds upon
existing hydrography and
landscape data to create a unique
resource of watershed properties,
connecting land and water.
StreamCat Features
StreamCat provides consistent
and complete watershed
characteristics for flowing waters
in the contiguous US and can be
used in conjunction with the
National Hydrography Dataset
Plus Version 2 (NHDPlusV2)
geospatial framework.
The data are available for the
contiguous US and are composed
of 2.6 million stream catchments.
It is publically available
(www2 .epa. gov/nati onal -aquatic-
resource-survevs/streamcat) in a
user-friendly interface with easy-
to-navigate file structures; data
are available by state or major
¦ "
Percent Urbanization Within Watershed
VB H-ffTi too
Example of a U.S. map created using StreamCat data on percent
urbanization within a watershed
hydrologic basins. Data are
available as comma-delimited
text files that can be read and
accessed within numerous
software packages.
Over 160 metrics are available
for both natural (climate, soils,
and lithology) and human-related
(urbanization, agriculture, and
dams) landscape features.
These data are summarized both
for individual stream catchments
(areas directly draining
individual stream segments that
exclude upstream areas) and for
cumulative upstream watersheds,
based on the NHDPIusV2
geospatial framework.
The dataset has undergone
rigorous quality control measures
and scientific peer review.
Application and Impact
StreamCat strengthens the EPA's
ability to estimate and map the
integrity and sustainability of our
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development | Western Ecology Division
Nation's waters. It provides the
capability to map watershed
integrity and aquatic condition in
the entire continential U.S.
StreamCat is a valuable tool for
land and water resource research
and managment applications
requiring landscape information
on natural and human factors. It
can help many agencies and
stakeholders by providing
extensive data about the
watersheds feeding into lakes,
rivers, and streams.
Citation: Hill R.A, Weber MH, Leibowitz SG,
Olsen AR, Thornbrugh DJ. 2015. The Stream-
Catchment (StreamCat) Dataset: A database of
watershed metrics for the conterminous USA.
Journal of the American Water Resources
Association (in press).
CONTACT: Scott Leibowitz, Office of
Research and Development; National Health
and Environmental Effects Laboratory,
Western Ecology Division. 541-754-4508
leibowitz.scott@epa.gov
EP A/600F -15/3 02
October 2015

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