Leveraging GIS for

Watershed Management and

Land-Based Planning

September 23,2010

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Drivers for
Source Water Protection Programs
Regulations
Clean Water Act, 1977
Safe Drinking Water Act, 1986/1996
Water Providers
Capital & Operational Costs
Community Relations
Development Restrictions
Cost of Management Controls

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Case Study:
NYC Croton Watershed

388 sq. miles

10% of NYC drinking water
supply (up to 30% during
drought)
Will be filtered in the future

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Considerations for
Croton

Complex chain of
interconnected
reservoirs
Mixed-use/highly
developed watershed
Point and non-point
assessment

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Croton Strategy Goals

Protect drinking water quality

by focusing on critical areas

 Meet EPA regulatory requirements

 Focus resources on critical areas
 Utilize existing data and knowledge base
 Minimize need for extensive sampling
 Provide reproducible results

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Analysis Approach Identified
Specific Criteria and Metrics
Assess point and non-point
sources for specific water
quality variables
Assume land use drives
potential risk
Provide relative risk at the
subbasin level

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Local Parameters Affect
Source Load Delivery
Average Condition
Soils

Slope

Mitigate Enhance

Local parameters may enhance or

mitigate delivery
Modifiers are based on relative
comparisons
Effect of local conditions are relative
to watershed average

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Analysis Methodology
1 Measurement Criteria Variables Measures

Determine the Total Phosphorus Determine Criteria Source

criteria Suspended Solids “loads” per land use Values
(variables) Pathogens (literature or sample
to measure Toxics data)

2 Conditional Criteria “Scalar” Overlay Modify Source Score

Determine factors Scaled
Steep Slopes
influencing source Enhancement or Source
Stream Proximity
delivery Mitigation Factors Values
Wetlands
Site
Evaluation/
Report

3 Scenario Evaluation Scenario Definition Calculate Scores

Land use Changes Overlay location and Area-weighted Rank by
BMP Reductions load modifications score by criteria Subbasin

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Source Impacts and Modifiers

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 GIS-Based Processing
Supports Complex Calculations
SCORE:

 Raster Method:
 Each layer is converted
into a grid
Land
 10m x 10m cell size
Septic
Point
 Data availability may
affect approach

Soils

Proximity

Sources Scalar Parameters

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS
 Methodology Application

LAND BASED SOIL SLOPE SCALED

& & =
SOURCE VALUE SCALAR SCALAR SOURCE VALUE

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Basin Assessment: Areas of Concern

Area 1 – High Density Residential (HDR)

Area 2 – Commercial/Retail
Area 3 – Low Density Residential (LDR)
Area 4 – Concentrated Septic Areas

Total Phosphorus Total Phosphorus Area 5 – Future LDR Development

Land-Based Runoff Potential Areas of Concern
INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS
Basin Management Strategies
Management Recommendations:
Storm Water Management Areas

Management
Mgmt. Area Land Use Concern
Strategies

High Occupies
Density peninsula Map storm drain
Area 1
Residential, surrounded by systems.
Institutional reservoir
Establish
maintenance
schedules.

Assess treatment
capacity of existing
High structures.
Commercial, Imperviousness
Area 2
Institutional highly Modify, upgrade, or
developed. retrofit existing
structures.

Emphasize
infiltration and
volume reduction
Close to over detention and
Storm Water Area 3
Low Density reservoir, near filtration.
Management Areas Residential aqueduct pump
house.

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Subbasin
Prioritization
1. Rank subbasins by
total score
2. Divide into 5
water quality
risk categories:
• Low
• Medium – Low
• Medium
• Medium – High
• High

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Reality Check: Model vs Sample

R2 = 0.6767

Water Quality Sampling Locations

and Catchments
INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS
Implementation:
Modeling And Decision Support –
CROton Watershed

M AD-CROW
Allows NYCDEP users to:
Explore options, test sensitivity,
and answer questions
in the future

Implemented in a Desktop GIS

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Decision Support Functions

Track activities likely to affect water quality

Estimate loading and ranking changes based on project
scope/implementation status
Compare effects to goals (ie. TMDL reductions)
Review projects in a spatial context
Test cost/benefits between proposed projects
Test sensitivity to user-defined issues (ie. sensitive habitat)

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Project Entry: Basic Information
Project Type
Implementation – projects
being built or planned
Study – reports or other
studies that do not affect
the score
For Evaluation –
hypothetical projects for
testing
Management Type
Dates
Funding

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Project Entry: Project-Specifics

Varies by
Management Type
May include BMP
Effectiveness
values
Pre-populated with
default values

Storm Water Management Example

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Project Entry: Area Location
Graphical User Interface
Wizard leads you
through drawing the
Project Area
Tools Include:
•Digitize
•Select Feature (ie. Parcel)
•Buffer (ie. Road, Stream)

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Projects are Combined
Into Scenarios for
Evaluation

Scenario Entry Interface

Select Projects by Query

Select Projects Manually

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Scenario Comparison Helps Prioritize
BMPs & Evaluate Proposed Development

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Scenario Numerical Results

Automated link between

Access Database and
Excel for reporting
functions
INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS
 Basin Reports

Automated Basin and

Watershed Reports
Project index by type and
status
Annual score trend line –
with and without BMPs

203 Fields Corner Septic management area WC

102 SWMA #4 Stormwater management DEP
26 Rt 22 rehab Stormwater management NYSDOT
27 Hollow Hills WWTP upgrade DEP

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Key Applications
•Wetlands Evaluate effects of
Town Master •Steep Slopes changes in land use –
Plan •Eco-Regions Re-zoning
Preservation
•Land use

Land-based
Risk
Residential Results With and
Development •Current Without Management
•Future Strategies

Program Type Regional

BMP Programs Management
Location Strategies

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Benefits of Using GIS to
Support Site Evaluation

 Systematic and defensible approach

 Ability to interactively test alternatives with stakeholders
 Graphic presentation is easy to understand

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

 Conclusion
 The Croton Strategy Approach Provides:
 A resource to identify priority areas for watershed
management.
 A scientific basis for screening, evaluating, and comparing
watershed management options and their relative effect on
water quality.
 A mechanism to fully integrate ongoing watershed planning
by all stakeholders
 A framework for managing systems of all sizes

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS

Questions?

INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS AND CONSULTANTS