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EnviroAtlas - Stream Confluence Dataset - Points

Published by U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) - Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2020-09-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
This EnviroAtlas dataset is a point feature class showing the locations of stream confluences. Stream confluences are important components of fluvial networks. Hydraulic forces meeting at stream confluences often produce changes in streambed morphology and sediment distribution, and these changes often increase habitat heterogeneity relative to upstream and downstream locations. Increases in habitat heterogeneity at stream confluences have led some to identify them as biological hotspots. Despite their potential ecological importance, there are relatively few empirical studies documenting ecological patterns across the upstream-confluence-downstream gradient. To facilitate more studies of the ecological value and role of stream confluences in fluvial networks, we have produced a database of stream confluences and their associated watershed attributes for the conterminous United States. The database includes 1,085,629 stream confluences and 383 attributes for each confluence that are organized into 15 database tables for both tributary and mainstem upstream catchments ("local" watersheds) and watersheds. Themes represented by the database tables include hydrology (e.g., stream order), land cover and land cover change, geology (e.g., calcium content of underlying lithosphere), physical condition (e.g., precipitation), measures of ecological integrity, and stressors (e.g., impaired streams). We use measures of ecological integrity (Thornbrugh et al. 2018) from the StreamCat database (Hill et al. 2016) to classify stream confluences using disjoint clustering and validate the cluster results using decision tree analysis. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

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