River Runner - Where Does our Water Go?

HUC stands for Hydrologic Unit Code, a standardized system used to identify and classify watersheds across the United States. Each hydrologic unit is a land area that drains water to a specific point on a stream or river—typically called a drainage area or watershed.

These units are organized using a numerical code ranging from 2 to 12 digits, depending on the level of classification. The more digits in the code, the smaller and more specific the watershed.

A hydrologic unit is determined by starting at an outlet point (usually where a stream ends or joins a larger river) and following the highest elevation points—called ridge lines—that separate one drainage area from another. These boundaries form the edges of the watershed.

 - dep.wv.gov