Ofr20191096.pdf - User’s Guide for the National Hydrology ...

National Geospatial Program

User's Guide for the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution

Open-File Report 2019?1096

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

Cover. Mount Washington, New Hampshire, as shown in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution; streams are shown as blue lines, and the catchments are in yellow.

User's Guide for the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution

By Richard B. Moore, Lucinda D. McKay, Alan H. Rea, Timothy R. Bondelid, Curtis V. Price, Thomas G. Dewald, and Craig M. Johnston

National Geospatial Program Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Open-File Report 2019?1096

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019

For more information on the USGS--the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment--visit or call 1?888?ASK?USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit .

This database, identified as the National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution, has been approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, the database is released on condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use.

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation: Moore, R.B., McKay, L.D., Rea, A.H., Bondelid, T.R., Price, C.V., Dewald, T.G., and Johnston, C.M., 2019, User's guide for the national hydrography dataset plus (NHDPlus) high resolution: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019? 1096, 66 p., .

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

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Contents

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Downloading and Organizing NHDPlus HR Data.......................................................................................2 NHDPlus HR Versioning.................................................................................................................................2 Structure of the NHDPlus HR Data..............................................................................................................2 Main Data Components of the NHDPlus HR and How They Fit Together..............................................8

Feature Classes of the NHDPlus HR...................................................................................................8 Burn Components..................................................................................................................................8

NHDPlusBurnLineEvent Line Feature Class.............................................................................8 NHDPlusBurnWaterbody Polygon Feature Class..................................................................10 NHDPlusLandSea Polygon Feature Class..............................................................................10 NHDPlusSink Point Feature Class............................................................................................11 NHDPlusWall Line Feature Class.............................................................................................11 Raster Layers........................................................................................................................................12 cat.tif ..........................................................................................................................................12 catseed.tif....................................................................................................................................12 elev_cm.tif....................................................................................................................................12 hydrodem.tif.................................................................................................................................12 fac.tif ..........................................................................................................................................12 fdr.tif ..........................................................................................................................................12 fdroverland.tif..............................................................................................................................13 filldepth.tif....................................................................................................................................13 shdrelief.jp2.................................................................................................................................13 swnet.tif........................................................................................................................................13 NHDPlus HR Tables.............................................................................................................................13 NHDPlusFlow Table....................................................................................................................13 NHDPlusDivFracMP Table.........................................................................................................15 NHDPlusMegaDiv Table............................................................................................................15 NHDPlusFlowlineVAA Table......................................................................................................16 NHDPlusEROMMA Table...........................................................................................................18 NHDPlusEROMQAMA Table.....................................................................................................20 NHDPlusEROMQARpt Table......................................................................................................21 NHDPlusIncrROMA Table..........................................................................................................21 NHDPlusIncrLat Table................................................................................................................22 Annual and Monthly Precipitation....................................................................................................22 Annual and Monthly Temperature....................................................................................................23 NHDPlusIncrTempMA and NHDPlusIncrTempMMmm Tables...........................................23 NHDPlusNHDPlusIDGridCode Table........................................................................................24 National Datasets................................................................................................................................25 NHDPlusHRGlobalData.gdb\NHDPlusBoundaryUnit Feature Class..................................25 NHDPlusHRGlobalData.gdb\NHDPlusGage Feature Class..................................................26 NHDPlus Data Domains......................................................................................................................27

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Concepts for Understanding and Using NHDPlus HR............................................................................28 NHDPlus HR Unique Feature Identifiers..........................................................................................28 NHDPlus HR and Divergences..........................................................................................................28 Total Upstream Accumulation and Divergence-Routed Accumulation......................................30 Understanding NHDPlus Slope.........................................................................................................31 Finding the Upstream Inflows to an NHDPlus HR VPU..................................................................31 Finding All FlowlinesThat Are Immediately Tributary to a Reach of River.................................31 Working With Main Networks and Isolated Networks.................................................................31 Differences Between Catchment Boundaries and WBD Boundaries for 12-Digit Hydrologic Unit Codes...........................................................................................................32 NHDFlowline Features With and Without Catchments.................................................................37 Using the NHDPlus Value-Added Attributes for Nonnavigation Tasks.......................................38 Example 1. Using LevelPathI To Generalize the Stream Network Based on Stream Length................................................................................................................38 Example 2. Selecting an Individual River or Terminal River Basin..................................38 Example 3. Profile Plots..........................................................................................................39 Example 4. Stream Order.......................................................................................................39 Example 5. Stream Level........................................................................................................40 Differences Between Flow Estimates from EROM and Gage-Reported Streamflow...............40

NHDPlus HR Build/Refresh Process Description....................................................................................41 Step A--Prepare the NHD and WBD Data.....................................................................................41 Step B--Prepare the NHDPlus-HR Workspace.............................................................................41 Step C--Build Network Value-Added Attributes (Part 1).............................................................41 Step D--Edit Divergence-Fraction Main Path Table.....................................................................42 Step E--QAQC Divergence-Fraction Main Path Table..................................................................42 Step F--Compute Value-Added Attributes (Part 2)........................................................................42 Step G--Trim Burn Lines for Raster Processing............................................................................45 Step H--Prepare Elevation Data......................................................................................................45 Step I--Populate and Edit Burn Components.................................................................................46 Step J--Prepare Sinks.......................................................................................................................47 Step K--Review Sinks........................................................................................................................48 Step L--Build Catchments, Flow Direction, and Other Rasters..................................................48 Building Catchments..................................................................................................................48 Hydroenforcement......................................................................................................................49 Final HydroDEM, Catchments, Flow Direction, Flow Accumulation, and Other NHDPlus HR Outputs.........................................................................................53 Step M--Build Filled Areas and Review.........................................................................................53 Step N--Reserved...............................................................................................................................54 Step O--Compute Headwater-Node Areas and Raw Elevations................................................54 Step P--Build Flow-Accumulation Raster......................................................................................54 Step Q--Smooth Raw Elevations......................................................................................................54 Step R--Accumulate Catchment Area and Adjust Value-Added Attributes in Upstream VPUs.......................................................................................................................55 Step S--Compute Catchment Attributes for Flow Estimation......................................................55

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Step T--EROM Flow Estimation, Flow QAQC, and Jobson Velocity Estimation........................55 EROM Step 1--Unit Runoff Calculations................................................................................56 EROM Step 2--Excess Evapotranspiration Adjustment......................................................57 EROM Step 3--Reference Gage Regression Flow Adjustment..........................................57 EROM Step 4--Manmade Addition and Removal Adjustments.........................................59 EROM Step 5--Gage-Based Flow Adjustment......................................................................59 EROM Step 6--Gage Sequestration Computations..............................................................60 Summary of Processing Steps.................................................................................................61 EROM Incremental Flows..........................................................................................................61 EROM Flow Estimation QAQC...................................................................................................61 Velocity Computation.................................................................................................................62

Selected References....................................................................................................................................63 Glossary..........................................................................................................................................................65

Figures

1. Model layers from major input datasets to create catchments in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution..........................................................2

2. Screenshot showing the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution file structure in ArcCatalog......................................................................................4

3. Schematic diagram showing feature classes, tables, and rasters in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution..........................................................8

4. Diagram showing a nongeometric connection used to represent return flows of rivers along international borders in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................................................................14

5. Schematic diagram showing complex hydrography in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.................................................................................28

6. Schematic diagram showing divergent junctions of hydrography in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................29

7. Schematic diagram showing a local divergence of streamflow within the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................29

8. Schematic diagram showing a complex divergent junction in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................29

9. Schematic diagram showing the Divergence-Routed Accumulation method of aggregating the incremental values of features in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.................................................................................30

10. Schematic map showing noncontributing isolated networks in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................32

11. Schematic map showing three isolated networks in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution that include mapping errors..............................32

12. Schematic diagram showing a catchment in one 12-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC12) extending into a part of the next downstream HUC12 in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................33

13. Schematic diagram showing an example of flowlines from the National Hydrography Dataset, watersheds from the Watershed Boundary Dataset, and catchments in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.....................................................................................................................................33

14. Schematic diagrams showing an example of a lake shoreline used to define the Watershed Boundary Dataset boundary.................................................................................34

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15. Schematic diagrams showing merging of two adjacent drainage areas without flowline features with the downstreammost catchment area into a single catchment area in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution ....................................................................................................................................35

16. Schematic diagram showing the catchment for a playa-lake NHDWaterbody feature originally from the National Hydrography Dataset displayed in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................36

17. Schematic diagram and aerial photograph of a headwater NHDFlowline feature in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution ................................37

18. Schematic map showing example watershed with streams with lengths greater than or equal to 100 kilometers in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................................................................38

19. Schematic map showing the Potomac River watershed as represented in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................38

20. Graph showing an elevation-profile plot of the main stem of a hypothetical river in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.................................39

21. Schematic map showing streams of different stream orders in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................39

22. Schematic map showing streams of different stream orders as depicted in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution with streams of stream order 1 removed.............................................................................................................39

23. Schematic diagram showing the StreamLevel values in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution at a flowline junction where the main stem of a stream converges with a tributary flowing in from the west..............................40

24. Schematic diagram showing the workflow for the Build/Refresh process of the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................41

25. Schematic diagram showing the order of assigning HydroSequence values in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................43

26. Schematic diagram showing ordering of level-path identifiers and level paths and hydrologic-sequence numbers in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................................................................44

27. Schematic diagram showing the ordering of terminal-path identifiers and hydrologic-sequence numbers in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................................................................................44

28. Schematic diagram showing ordering of the A, StreamOrder and B, StreamCalculator values in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution............................................................................................................................45

29. Schematic diagrams showing flow-accumulation and bathymetry in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................50

30. Schematic maps showing catchment delineations corrected for the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution .......................................................50

31. Schematic diagram showing a cross section of a digital elevation model in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................51

32. Perspective view of a modified digital elevation model streams from hydroenforcement in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.....................................................................................................................................52

33. Schematic diagram showing a multipart feature defining a catchment area in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution........................................53

34. Graph showing upstream elevation smoothing in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) High Resolution.................................................................................55

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