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New interactive watershed map presented to council; tool will gather projects and feed state funding lists
Summary
Division staff and consultants demonstrated an ArcGIS-based map that will let councils submit projects via a live survey, display project layers and industrial uses, and be packaged for state infrastructure funding prioritization.
Council members were shown a development version of an interactive watershed map and project database that uses ArcGIS to collect project entries via a live survey, display projects and relevant layers, and produce a statewide project list for funding prioritization.
"So this is the landing page that you're gonna see when you come in," Rachel (map presenter) said while demonstrating navigation tools, layer controls and how survey‑submitted projects populate green dots on the map.
The presenters described these key elements: a landing page and zoom/home controls; project points (green dots) that open a project summary window; industrial sites (red dots) derived from water‑use reporting in the state's water rights database; optional thematic layers (state parks, land ownership, basin boundaries); and a mechanism to dock or move the project info window out of the way while viewing layers. The presenters showed that clicking the left/right arrows in the project window cycles through associated layers (project, basin, county) and noted the tool is currently in development and not yet published.
Carly and Olga (Division staff) explained the map is populated by a live survey so councils can add or update projects over time. They advised councils to "package" projects with multiple impacts (e.g., municipal, agricultural, watershed protection, water quality) and to submit consolidated project descriptions to increase ranking in the State's Infrastructure Fund prioritization process. One staff member reminded the council that the consultants expect a major submission milestone in early April (April 7 was cited for some project listing activities) and urged coordination on project packaging and timelines.
The presenters also addressed usability and future capabilities: base maps (imagery or USGS topo) can be changed, the team will consider publishing the map for ArcGIS Field Maps/mobile use, and they can add a layer showing council member geographic distribution to visualize representation across the watershed. The presenters said they will refine the interface and add a help button linking to navigation instructions.
Council discussion included requests to: (1) resend the project survey and navigation instructions to improve southern-basin participation, (2) add a council-member distribution layer to show representation across the basin, and (3) consider mobile access through ArcGIS Field Maps. Cody suggested the council distribution layer would highlight underrepresented areas and help plan outreach; presenters said that could be done by county centroid or manually placed pins.
No formal actions were taken on the map tool; the tool remains in development. Presenters said the map will be published once finalized and will be used in presentations to the State Water Council; councils will be able to view but not edit the published map.
Ending — access and next steps: staff will resend the survey and navigation instructions, continue development work to enable mobile viewing and map help links, and coordinate with councils to populate projects and consider packaging them for infrastructure funding review.
