client logo regional watershed improvement planning using customized gis tools to support diverse...
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Regional Watershed Improvement PlanningUsing Customized GIS Tools to Support Diverse Stakeholder Groups
Erik Rourke - USACE
Gray Minton, P.E., GISP - AECOM
May 22, 2012
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Program OverviewStakeholder OutreachIdentification/Prioritization of Hot Spots Development of GIS Decision Support Tool
Future Steps
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Program Overview
• Authorized by Section 566 of WRDA 1996
• Provides design and construction assistance to non-Federal interests for water-related environmental infrastructure, resource protection, and development projects
• All projects are cost-shared 75% Federal / 25% Non-Federal
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection non-Federal sponsor
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Southeastern Pennsylvania Environmental Improvement Program
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Project Phases
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Phase 1 • Public Coordination and Involvement
Phase 2• Data Collection, Organization, and
Analysis
Phase 3• Identify Priority Areas for Watershed
Improvements (Decision Support Tool)
Phase 4 • Project Alternatives Development
Phase 5 • Preliminary Project Design
Phase 6 • Final Design and Permitting
Phase 7 • Construction
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Project Area – Approximately 1,000 Square Miles
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Chester, Delaware, Montgomery Counties (parts of Lancaster & Philadelphia)
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Project Challenges
• Objective - identify and prioritize regional issues of highest concern
• Large study area
• Highly fragmented political framework
• Building consensus among stakeholders Federal & State agencies, Counties, municipalities,
watershed organizations
• Overcoming USACE stigma (just another study…)
• Creating and promoting objectivity and transparency
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Project Solutions
• Outreach to stakeholders Establish Steering Committee Hold stakeholder and outreach meetings
o 4 steering committee meetingso 3 community outreach meetings in each of the 3
Counties
• Listening to steering committee/stakeholders!
• Development of a solution based on data
• Development of a GIS based decisions support tool
• Presenting findings to stakeholders
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Stakeholder Outreach
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Steering Committee
• Regional representation from different levels of government and academia
• Forum for discussion and consensus building
• Providing local focus to federal process
• Gathering feedback from key stakeholders and partners
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Outreach Meetings• Consisted of break out sessions; hands on; coffee
and doughnuts
• Gathered input and feedback
• Provided project updates and demonstrated progress
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Outreach Meetings
• Response technology used for feedback
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Benefits of Using Response Technology
• Avoids having meetings hijacked by most outspoken participants…
• Ensures that silent majority gets its say
• Is democratic/ instantaneous/ entertaining
• Helps direct discussion
• Ensures that participants feel that their opinions were heard
• Generates buy in into the process!
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Key Findings
• Issues facing each watershed and priorities in each watershed are very different
• Solid solutions exist but often lack funding & support
• Desire to move away from the band-aid approach
• Desire to address problems
collaboratively using
integrated regional solutions
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Project Website http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Projects/spe/
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• Overview
• Project Summary
• Meeting Minutes
• Prioritization Report
• DST Installer
• User Manual
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Identification & Prioritization of Hot Spots
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Why Identify & Prioritize Hot Spots?
• Limited funds imperative to prioritize where investment is most needed
• Prioritization 1st step in leveraging USACE resources
• Provide objective assessment of existing conditions and issues facing the project area
• Provide consistent decision-making framework
Keys to Prioritization
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Prioritization Methodology
• Develop objective indicators to quantify key issues.
• Outreach identified 3 indicator categories:
Flooding Watershed Health Water Quality
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Prioritization Customization
• Provide customizable weighting factors to account for differences in priorities and issues facing the watersheds
• Create unique default prioritization lists for each major watershed area for both Individual Indicators and Indicator Categories
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Example Prioritization Process
NFIP Claims
Risk Deciles
HAZUS AAL
Sediment Loading
Phosphorous Loading
Nitrogen Loading
Percent Stream Miles Impaired
Percent Stream Miles w/ TMDL
Prioritization FLOODING
Prioritization WATER
QUALITY
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
% %
Erosion Potential%
Comprehensive Prioritization
Example Water Quality Input Data
Example Flooding Input data
100%100%
User Input Weight
User Input Weight
User Input Weight
User Input Weight
Percent Impervious
Population Density
Percent Wetlands
Percent Tree Cover
Critical Habitat Quality
PrioritizationWATERSHED
HEALTH
%
%
%
%
%
Example Watershed Health Input Data
100%
User Input Weight
%User Input Weight
Population in Floodplain%
Site Specific Issues%
Site Specific Issues% Site Specific
Issues%
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Data Assembly
• Compiled best available data from Federal, State and local agencies for the study area
• Geodatabase can be used to calculate indicators
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Data Normalization
• Developed normalization methodology to rank individual datasets
GIS Decision Support Tool
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Decision Support Tool Goals
DST Developed for Two Reasons:
1. Identify and prioritize areas where the USACE could assist in design and construction of priority regional watershed improvement projects
2. Provide useful planning too to assist local entities in regional watershed planning
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Decision Support Tool Design Goals
• Simple user interface
• Documented methodology
• Customizable weightings
• Open to user-supplied data
• Scalable
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Decision Support Tool Specifications
• ArcGIS 10 extension
• Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Development Environment
• 27 indicators considered
• User-defined analysis areas
• User-defined weighting factors
• All data included in provided Geodatabase
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Initial Tool Load
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User Input and Weighting Options
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DST Results Examples
TabularResults
GraphicalResults
Simulated results for purposes of presentation only
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DST Results Examples
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Simulated results for purposes of presentation only
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Advanced User Customization
• Users can use updated or more detailed data if available
• Users can adjust default weighting factors based on local knowledge and needs
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Documentation
Manual and User Guide Results Report
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Future Steps
May 22, 2012
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Future Steps
• Phase III prioritizations are not final, they are a starting point to understand the watershed network
• The DST tool can be used to support local, State and Federal officials in decision making
• Phase IV will develop Project Alternatives
Suite of feasible alternatives for priority issues Preferred option for Preliminary Project Design
(Phase V)
• Improvement Project Implementation Phases V – VII
