Download and Install HEC-WAT

Choose an Installation Directory

Important Directory Considerations:

  • Choose a location where you have write permissions (e.g., C:\Programs) to easily modify configuration files or update components.
  • Use short, simple folder paths to make navigation and file handling easier.

Download HEC-WAT

To download the HEC-WAT Version 1.1 portable package:

  1. From the HEC-WAT Downloads page, download the latest version of the software.  This is a portable setup package as a ".zip" file that includes HEC-WAT and the following HEC modeling applications as plugins: HEC-HMS, HEC-ResSim and HEC-FIA.   HEC-RAS is not included with HEC-WAT and needs to be installed by an administrator to register the correct files with Windows so that HEC-WAT can find it.
  2. Extract the contents of the *.zip file to a location from where you can run applications.  We recommend storing the software in a folder on your primary drive, such as C:\Programs\HEC-WAT , and avoid running the software from your desktop or Windows user directory.

     USACE users: Do not use Windows' built-in extractor – it may cause issues when trying to run HEC-WAT. Instead, use 7zip to extract the files.

Install and Register HEC-RAS

If you plan to use HEC-RAS complete this step. If not, skip this step and disable the HEC-RAS plugin from the "Plugin Information" option, found under the "Tools" menu of the main HEC-WAT window. (For more information review, the HEC-WAT Plugins section on this page).

HEC-WAT Version 1.1 expects HEC-RAS Version 6.5 to be installed and registered, typically requiring administrator access. HEC-RAS Version 6.5 is not included with the HEC-WAT package and must be downloaded and installed separately. HEC-RAS must be installed using the Setup program, which decompresses and installs the files to the appropriate directories, as well as registers certain shared libraries with the operating system. 

USACE users: Use the App Portal to install HEC-RAS Version 6.5

Alternatively, to manually install HEC-RAS:

  1. Go to the HEC-RAS Downloads page and find the Version 6.5 install package.
  2. Download the setup program in a temporary directory and execute it from there (double-click on the EXE to start the installer).
  3. Follow the setup instructions on the screen and install HEC-RAS in the folder identified in the installer.
    For more information review Installing HEC-RAS (Version 6.5) (HEC-RAS User's Manual).
  4. When launching HEC-WAT, the RAS plugin will occasionally fail to load, if this happens, close and restart HEC-WAT.  If this happens repeatedly, you may need to check that the HEC-RAS software is installed correctly, or that the correct version has been installed.