Canada1Water Data Release Notice - Advancing Stream Network Classification for National Hydrological Models
Figure 9. Strahler Stream Order 5 and greater after stream density standardization in BC and parts of QC. The NHDPlus (USA below N49°) and NHD are shown in transparent areas.
Kessel, E.D., Frey, S.K., and Russell, H.A.J. 2024. Canada1Water classification of the National Hydro Network: stream order and graph refinement; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 9191, 13 p. https://doi.org/10.4095/pyc51h1rm4
Click here to access the NRCan GEOSCAN documentation release.
What: Reprocessing of the National Hydrological Networks (NHN) from NRCan to provide i) topology, ii) permit classification, iii) support graph network attribution and standardized network harmonized with the US.
Why: To support hydrogeological modelling the National Hydro Network (NHN) was reprocessed for hydrological modelling, offering a harmonized framework that supports transboundary studies between provinces and the US for surface water and groundwater interaction.
NHD Flowlines with Strahler Stream Order for Alaska (NHD1900s) are also available, extending coverage beyond existing datasets.
Step 2) Navigate to the C1W ‘Model Boundaries Watersheds’ data layer
Downloading the Data
Step 1) Log in to the C1W Data Portal
Canada1Water datasets are available for download through the C1W Data Portal. Click here to access the portal.
Step 2) Access the C1W Map
Step 3) Select a catchment and download the data
Catchments shown in colour are those which have C1W data coverage and modelling data (colour coded for seven C1W drainage basins). Many datasets can be downloaded by catchment. Activate the “Model Boundaries Watersheds” data layer by activating it through the layer menu at the top right of the screen (under the “Canada1Water” layer category).
Step 3) Select a catchment and download the data
Clicking any of the 1485 C1W sub-watersheds (show in colour) will open a Map Layer Query window displaying some metadata for the catchment. Click the “Streams Shapefiles” button to download the C1W-NHN dataset for the catchment as a compressed (.ZIP) folder.