Watersheds can be identified on different scales. The boundary of a watershed is defined by the highest elevations surrounding a lake or river segment. A drop of water falling outside of the boundary will drain to another watershed.
Where is my local watershed?
To find a HUC for your area of interest, follow these steps:
- Go to the Watersheds web page at
- Enter a Zip Code to Find Your Watershed, or use any of the other search options provided by the More info link.
How do I find my flood zone in Houston?
To learn if your structure is located in a mapped 1 percent (100-year) floodplain, visit FEMA’s online Map Service Center at There, you can view a FIRM at no charge using a property’s address. As a property owner or renter, you can learn where your structure is located relative to a mapped floodplain.
What are the boundaries or edges of the watershed?
The edge or boundary of your lake’s watershed is defined by the highest points and ridges of land around the lake. Rain falling or snow melting on the near side, or “inside,” of the ridge flows by gravity, over the ground and in streams and groundwater, to your lake.
What defines the boundary of a watershed?
Watershed boundaries define the aerial extent of surface water drainage to a point. Its boundaries are defined by hydrographic and topographic criteria that delineate an area of land upstream from a specific point on a river, stream or similar surface waters.
What is the boundary around a watershed called?
The basin is the largest part of the watershed. Boundary. The boundary of the watershed is the outer edge of the divide, basin, and collection area. The boundary divides one watershed from a neighboring watershed. Collection Area.
How do I find my hydrologic unit code?
To identify your school or site’s Hydrological Unit Code (HUC) designation, navigate to the USGS National Map (). This map will allow you to zoom in on your sub-watershed to find your 12-digit HUC.
How do you calculate the area of a watershed?
You can estimate the areas using your topographic map. One method to find the area is to count squares using a grid (See box at right.) You can also use a tool called a “planimeter” to trace the boundary of the watershed (it will calculate the area within the boundary), or a dot or grid counter to determine the area.
How do I find my flood zone in Texas?
Go to and begin searching for your location by typing an address into the search bar. This brings up a map of the location. The buttons on the left hand side of the page let you choose different flood maps.
What are the boundaries of a watershed defined by?
What determines the boundary between two different watersheds?
Because water runs downhill, topography defines the boundary of a watershed—ridges or high points in a landscape form the line between one watershed and another.
How do I use the Texas watershed viewer?
The Texas Watershed Viewer allows users to identify local watersheds, sub watersheds, river basins, and river sub basins throughout the State of Texas. 1. Type your address into the search bar and press enter.
What is the watershed boundary dataset?
The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a seamless, national hydrologic unit dataset. Simply put, hydrologic units represent the area of the landscape that drains to a portion of the stream network.
How do you delineate a watershed boundary?
In order to successfully delineate a watershed boundary, the evaluator will need to visualize the landscape as represented by a topographic map. This is not difficult once the following basic concepts of the topographic maps are understood. Each contour line on a topographic map represents a ground elevation or vertical distance
How are hydrologic unit boundaries determined in the WBD?
Hydrologic unit boundaries in the WBD are determined based on topographic, hydrologic, and other relevant landscape characteristics without regard for administrative, political, or jurisdictional boundaries. The WBD seamlessly represents hydrologic units at six required and two optional hierarchical levels.
