A standardized mapping of natural drainage basins in Connecticut was completed in 1981 by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This drainage basin system divided Connecticut into 8 major basins, 45 regional basins, 337 subregional basins, 2,898 local basins, and 7,067 small drainage basin areas. The statewide mapping of natural drainage basins established a hierarchical system of basins based on drainage area size with large major basins subdivided into regional basins, regional basins subdivided into subregional basins, subregional basins subdivided into local basins, and local basins subdivided into smaller and more numerous drainage basin areas. It includes watersheds for Connecticut rivers, streams, brooks, lakes, reservoirs and ponds included on 1:24,000-scale 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) between 1969 and 1984. These basin units include smaller watersheds that drain into many of the small streams and ponds in Connecticut. These basin areas are the building blocks for the larger local, subregional, regional and major drainage basins defined by DEP.

Connecticut Subregional Drainage Basins includes 337 drainage basin areas, the majority of which range from 5 to 70 square miles in size and make up, in order of increasing size the larger regional and major drainage basin areas. The subregional basin number (SBAS_NO) uniquely identifies individual subregional drainage basins and is 4 characters in length. There are 335 unique subregional basin numbers. Examples include 6000 for the Housatonic River Main Stem Subregional Basin, 4300 for the Farmington River Subregional Basin, and 6002 for the Schenob Brook Subregional Basin. The first digit (column 1) designates the major basin, the first two digits (columns 1-2) designate the regional basin, and the first 4 digits (columns 1-4) designate the subregional basin. Note, there are slightly more subregional basin areas delineated (374) than unique subregional basin numbers (335) primarily due to a few stream confluences that split the same local basin into two areas. Refer to the Connecticut Subregional Drainage Basin GIS metadata for more information about drainage basin numbers.

Included with the subregional drainage basin boundaries are Subregional Drainage Basins Direction arrows that depict the general direction of surface water flow towards indivicual subregional drainage basin outlets. Theses arrows are meant to indicate where one basin drains into another and are intended aid in visualizing the network of subregional drainage basins in Connecticut. They do not depict the exact location of basin outlets.

These basin boundaries are the digital equivalent of the major, regional and subregional drainage basin boundaries published on the 1:125,000-scale state map entitled Natural Drainage Basins in Connecticut, McElroy, 1981.