Lorri A. Peltz and Timothy D. Liebermann

COMPARISON OF DIGITAL HYDROGRAPHIC-BASIN BOUNDARIES AT SEVERAL SCALES


ABSTRACT

Hydrographic-basin boundaries have been delineated on maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey for use in ground-water and surface-water studies. Digital data for basin boundaries at 1:750,000 scale have been compiled from the 1974 Static Ground Water Levels of Nevada, published by the Nevada Division of Water Resources. Data for boundaries at 1:500,000 scale are available for the 11-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) map, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. Digital data also are available for the 1:250,000-scale 8-digit HUC map, published by the U.S. Geological Survey. Digital data for 1:100,000 and 1:24,000 scales were obtained for some basins by delineating topographic divides on the respective-scale map, using the topographic contours. Because of the variety of scales, each map has a different level of accuracy. The digital data for all five scales are compared and a general statistical evaluation of areas and line lengths is made for each.


Lorri A. Peltz, Physical Scientist
Timothy D. Liebermann, Hydrologist
U.S. Geological Survey
333 W. Nye Lane
Carson City, NV 89706
Telephone: (702) 887-7600
Fax: (702) 887-7629