Dam Density and Storage Metrics for U.S. Catchments

The StreamCat dataset provides dam density and storage volume attributes for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment and its upstream watersheds across the conterminous United States. It was developed by Michigan State University through a spatial linkage of the 2009 National Inventory of Dams to the NHDPlusV1 hydrography network, with support from the USGS Aquatic GAP Program.

Use Cases

• Analyze dam density per catchment to assess anthropogenic barrier impacts on watershed connectivity.
• Model cumulative dam_storage volume within upstream watersheds for regional water resource planning.
• Conduct GIS analyses using spatially linked dam point data from the National Inventory of Dams (NID).

Strengths

• Attributes are calculated for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment in the conterminous U.S., providing national coverage.
• Data includes both local catchment-level and accumulated watershed-level metrics for dam density and storage.
• Derived from the authoritative 2009 National Inventory of Dams, with modifications for dam removals and duplicate records.

Limitations

• Based on the 2009 National Inventory of Dams, so it may not reflect recent dam construction or removals after that period.
• Point data type for metrics may require additional processing for integration with polygon-based hydrological models.

Provenance

Source

National Inventory of Dams (NID) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, linked to NHDPlusV1.

Collection Method

Spatial linkage of dam point data to the NHDPlusV1/NHD hydrography network, with summarization and accumulation into watersheds.

Time Range

Based on the 2009 National Inventory of Dams.

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in December 2025, though the underlying dam inventory is from 2009.

Geography

Conterminous United States.