Council reviews interactive watershed map and forms small committee to develop story map and inventory

Tom Moore demonstrated an interactive basin map created for the council and members agreed to use it as a working tool to inventory irrigation service areas, canals, municipal boundaries and other water infrastructure.

"This is the basin and the black line that, this council represents," Tom Moore said while showing the map. He explained the map layers include major streams (dark blue), larger canals and pipes (light blue), service-area boundaries, municipal boundaries and reservoirs. He said county lines could be added and that staff would reissue the link to the council.

Council members discussed creating an index or "factoid" sheet to accompany the map listing major irrigation companies, municipal service areas, irrigated acres and other snapshot data. Division staff and water-rights staff offered to help provide existing datasets (including canal and water-right network layers) and to host or provide shape files and PDFs. The group discussed building a GIS story map that would combine narrative pages with the interactive map.

Several members volunteered to form a working committee to refine the map and produce the story map and index. Cash Stallings and one representative who identified themselves as Kevin volunteered; online participant "Sue" also volunteered. The council agreed to hold a Teams meeting to start work and to present progress at the April meeting.

Why it matters: an accurate inventory and user-friendly map will help the council define priorities for tours and projects and provide a clear briefing for the State Watershed Council.