Streams defined with Hydrology tools don't always fit in channel

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01-21-2013 09:55 AM
GregoryGeise
New Contributor
I've been trying to define a stream network from a DEM raster but the streams Spatial Analyst>Hydrology tools defined do not always match with the channel when compared to the Terrain/TIN. For a good majority of the stream network it fits, but not everywhere.[ATTACH=CONFIG]20931[/ATTACH]
I've filled the sinks. My advisor suggested running Focal Statistics multiple times to smooth out the slopes of the stream banks, but no luck.
I've been stuck on this for a while. Help is much appreciated.

Greg
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MarkBoucher
Occasional Contributor III
I would look at the fil raster and see if the creek is discernible in it. Apply the same color ramp to the fil raster as you do to the rawdem raster. The fil raster is what is fed into the flow direction tool and that in turn defines the stream raster and eventually the stream network.

If the streams are not discernible in the fil raster, then there is likely a need to change the rawdem prior to filling by burning in the streams in some locations. For example, a bridge crossing (or slight anomaly in the raster) may cause the creek in rawdem to fill and then the flow direction will not follow the creek, but will go around the bridge. In this case, you need to "burn" a line across the bridge to cause the eventual flow direction to follow the creek through the bridge. Also, there are also times with the rawdem is so flat that it is not well defined. In these cases and the flow direction will cross what is actually a watershed boundary. To deal with this once can build a "wall" in the dem so the flow direction will come out "hydrologically correct".

I use the ArcHydro tools for my hydrology analysis. This has tools for burning in streams and building walls.
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