FAQ and Troubleshooting

When a SWAT+ run does not produce what you expect, the first three files to read are simulation.out, diagnostics.out, and checker.out. Their format is described in Checker and diagnostics.

Pages

• Common runtime errors. The error strings the model writes to its diagnostic files, what they mean, and what to change.
• Water balance and mass balance issues. When basin_wb_aa.txt looks wrong: climate mapping, curve numbers, missing management, bad soils.
• Performance tips. Build flags, daily versus sub-daily routing, the cost of enabling many outputs.

When in doubt

1. Confirm the executable matches the input format. Use the SWAT+ revision printed on the first line of simulation.out.
2. Read diagnostics.out end to end. Every line is a missing reference that SWAT+ replaced with a default or skipped.
3. Read checker.out. The per-HRU zmx, sumfc, sumul, tiledrain columns are the fastest way to spot a soil or option that did not load.
4. Confirm success.fin exists. If it does not, the run aborted.