Beaufort County unveils public stormwater project dashboard; staff outlines next steps

Beaufort County staff demonstrated a new public-facing stormwater project dashboard during the Stormwater Utility Board’s June meeting, saying the tool will let residents view active maintenance and capital projects on a map and filter by project type and year.

Ian Deniv, the county’s GIS lead, walked the board through interactive filters, color-coded status indicators and an expandable details panel that shows project descriptions and the number of active projects. "If I filter for capital, it'll just show all the capital projects, and it'll show them on the map and then it'll show in this panel over here all the details that are associated with it," Deniv said.

Taylor, stormwater staff, said the dashboard will be publicly accessible while the underlying data entry will be secured in the county’s system; she told the board the county started uploading projects going forward and will provide board members a link and an expanded preview ahead of broader publication. "We will make sure all the board members have a link to this dashboard, and any kind of feedback, comments, or questions are welcomed," she said.

Board members asked whether the dashboard will show project start and anticipated completion dates, and whether it can integrate with BC Connect, the county’s complaint-tracking system. Taylor said the dashboard currently displays project phase and can be enhanced to add start dates and contact links; she also said BC Connect will remain a separate database but staff are exploring feasible integrations and improved tracking from complaints to work orders.

The dashboard demonstration included an option to mark possible future projects with a distinct color and to display project manager contact names; staff agreed to add project manager contact information for maintenance projects and an email link for managers where appropriate. Deniv said archived project reports and cost breakdowns will remain available on the county website.

The dashboard is planned to appear on the main Beaufort County stormwater webpage; staff said they will continue to refine the public interface based on board feedback and to add additional fields such as start dates and “future-project” markers before a broader rollout.