Is CalWater a “true” hydrologic dataset, following ridgelines?
CalWater 2.0 and 2.2 are not true hydrologic datasets following ridgelines. However, this is only because the original digital linework used to create these maps was not. The intent of the IWMC is to continue to edit this linework and make it a more accurate reflection of surface water drainage. The role of the IWMC is to guide this process. It is a work in progress. In late 1995 the USFS, USGS and NRCS presented the IWMC group with the NRCS NI 170-304 standards. The committee agreed to include these guidelines in the CalWater mapping standards, and the three Federal agencies agreed to support this State and Federal interagency mapping effort. An MOU was drafted in March 1997, formalizing this agreement. However, the current CalWater metadata states: The California Watershed Map (CalWater version 2.2) is a set of standardized watershed boundaries meeting standardized delineation criteria. The following are subjective comments regarding this data: CalWater boundaries were digitized on a
