BASINS Download and Installation
BASINS was originally introduced in 1996 with subsequent releases in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013. The current version of BASINS 4.5 was released in 2019. This page describes the installation requirements for BASINS 4.5, as well as a brief history of the previous versions of BASINS. BASINS 4.5 is the only version of BASINS currently supported by EPA.
On this page:
Hardware Requirements and Installation
BASINS is distributed as a single installation program. The setup program provides a software wizard which guides the user through the setup process. Hardware and Software Requirements
- BASINS Version 4.5 provides a suite of plug-ins that customizes MapWindow GIS, providing an application that integrates environmental data, analysis tools, and modeling systems.
BASINS can be installed and operated on IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs) equipped with the software, random access memory (RAM), virtual memory, and hard disk space presented in the table below. BASINS 4.5 is 64-bit and Windows 8 compatible.
| Hardware/Software | Minimum Requirements | Preferred Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1GHz processor | 2GHz processor or higher |
| Available hard disk space | 2.0 Gb | 10.0 Gb |
| Random access memory (RAM) | 512 Mb of RAM plus 2 Gb of page space | 1 Gb of RAM plus 2 Gb of page space |
| Color monitor | 16 bit color, Resolution 1024x768 | 32 bit color, Resolution 1600x1200 |
| Internet Connection | WiFi | DSL or better |
| Operating system | Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 | Same |
Installing BASINS 4.5
The BASINS installation program copies BASINS system files, tools and documentation, and it also sets up BASINS icons automatically. Model plugins are installed separately.
The BASINS installation program allows the user to install BASINS. The BASINS system installation program installs all of these components to the local hard drive in a fixed directory structure. It also sets up a Windows BASINS program group that includes icons for the BASINS components.
When running the installation program, follow the instructions on the screen.
| Tip: | The BASINS installation program does not copy any BASINS data (except the optional tutorial) to your hard drive. |
|---|---|
| Tip: | If you have multiple hard drives or partitioned drives, you may have only one BASINS directory in each partitioned or physical drive. |
- Note: It is recommended that the BASINS system be installed at the root of a drive. The user must have write access to the folder in which BASINS is installed. Be sure you have administrator privileges before starting the installation. Since some new system files are included in this release, you may need to restart Windows after some files have been updated before continuing with the installation.
- If you have BASINS 4.0 or 4.1 installed already, uninstall it before installing BASINS 4.5. BASINS 4.0 project files and data will not be deleted during the uninstall process. BASINS 4.0 projects (MapWindow .mwprj files) will not open correctly in BASINS 4.5, but the map layers may be loaded into new BASINS 4.5 projects.
Download Files
| File Type / Priority | File Name / Format / Size | File Description |
|---|---|---|
| Install / Required | BASINS 4.5 Core Download, 2023.08.29 (exe) | Installer for BASINS 4.5 Core 2023.08.29. Version fixes problems with the download of the core datasets. |
| Install / Optional | HSPF 12.5 plugin 2020.06 (exe) | Installer for HSPF 12.5 Plugin. |
| Install / Optional | BASINS4.5ModelPlugins.2023.06 (zip) | Installer for WASP, SWAT, SWMM, GWLF and other legacy model plugins. Recently updated with the new EFDCPlus (EFDC+) plugin. |
| Document / Optional | BASINS 4.5 Core Manual | BASINS 4.5 User's Manual. |
| Install / Optional | LSPCModelBuilder2.00-Mar2025 (exe) | Installer for LSPC V5 Model Plugin Version 2.0 |
| Install / Optional | Weather Data Processor V2.5 (exe) | Weather Data Processor V2.5 – Installer for weather data processor; downloads NLDAS, GLDAS, TRMM, ISD, COOP, GHCN datasets and processes weather model data files for LSPC, WASP, HSPF, SWMM, EFDC and SWAT. Includes a stochastic weather generator, allows export of timeseries to a SQLite database and link to SARA Time Series Utility. Recently updated with download of the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) Global Daily Downscaled Projections (GDDP) CMIP6 datasets and EPA Dynamically Downscaled Ensemble (EDDE) CMIP5 Version 1 datasets. |
Version History
The features by BASINS version.