Elevation, Flow Direction, Flow Accumulation, and Stream Network Rasters for Kentucky StreamStats Update, 2026 (ver. 2.0, October 2026)

This data release archives Kentucky digital elevation models (DEM), flow accumulation rasters (FAC), flow direction rasters (FDR), and stream drainage rasters (STR) (hereafter, the combination of these are referred to as ‘fundamental layers’). These fundamental layers were developed to update the layers in StreamStats to the best available data (StreamStats | U.S. Geological Survey).

The update utilizes a lidar-derived DEM with a native resolution of 5-feet, which was resampled to a 30‑foot spatial resolution to align with flowlines and Watershed Boundry Datasets (WBD) from the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). These layers were edited, and DEMs for each HUC08 watershed in the study area were hydrologically conditioned and enforced using tools from the U.S. Geological Survey StreamStats toolbox. NHD stream channel lines were burned into the DEM and surrounded by a sloped buffer zone to ensure proper landscape drainage. Sinks were filled, and a retaining wall was artificially constructed using HUC8 units from the NHD as part of the conditioning process.

StreamStats state based applications provide access to spatial analytical tools that are useful for water-resource planning, management, engineering, and for design purposes. The map-based user interface can be used to delineate drainage areas, quantify basin characteristics and compute estimations of flow statistics at gaged and ungaged locations. These datasets include a study area defined by all HUC12 watersheds flowing into or out of the state of Kentucky.