PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

GIS and Mapping Capabilities

Oregon Estuary Assessment Approach

Client: Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

Project Description: Karen Kuzis worked with Spatial Dynamics and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board developing a GIS based approach to accessing Estuary Conditions at the landscape scale. For this assessment process we developed a GIS based grid scoring system in order to compare the relative values of various portions of the estuarine landscape for potential salmonid habitat restoration. The scores are based on identifying the locations of historic sloughs and channels and comparing the current and historic vegetation conditions. The products are maps of the estuary showing portions with vegetation and water flow conditions most similar to historic conditions.

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Skagit River Watershed Source Control Plan

Client: with EES, Inc. for the City of Anacortes and the Skagit County PUD #1

Project Description: Using ArcView 8 and Spatial Analyst, Joanne Greenberg and staff prepared a map showing the Skagit River, major tributaries, roads, cities and towns, and the FEMA 100-year floodplain. A buffer was established to determine the area within the 100-year floodplain or 750 feet from the river bank, whichever was greater. The County assessor’s database and the Department of Ecology’s data of regulated facilities were analyzed and mapped to identify potentially contributing contaminants to the Skagit River. The final map will show potential hazards within the corridor and study area for the City of Anacortes and the PUD to manage their water supplies appropriately during floods and/or accidents.

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Samish River Basin Watershed Management Plan

Client: Skagit County Public Works

Project Description: As part of the process of developing a watershed management plan, Joanne Greenberg made presentations to the Steering Committee summarizing the information gathered and the results from the detailed Level II Watershed Assessment. The Steering Committee was guided through the information by using maps for each of four subbasins. Maps were prepared to display the public water associations, single and multiple domestic water rights by point of diversion, crop inventory results by parcel, and ground and surface water irrigation rights by place of use. Tabular information was overlayed onto the maps showing the difference between actual use and water right allocations.

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Samish River Basin Level II Watershed Assessment (WRIA 3)

Client: with Duke Engineering and GeoEngineers for the Skagit Watershed Steering Committee and Skagit Council of Governments

Project Description: Using ArcView 3.2 and Spatial Analyst, Joanne Greenberg and staff delineated watershed and 13 allocation basins within watershed using USGS National Elevation Data at 10 m resolution. The original documents for each water right were obtained either on paper or microfiche from the Department of Ecology. Using digital parcel data from the County Assessor’s Office and the legal descriptions from the water rights documents, mapped the points of diversion and places of use for each of 638 water rights. The point of diversion and place of use for each water right was mapped on parcel maps using the correct legal descriptions from the documents. These data were then transferred to ArcView shapefiles. Shapefile attributes were joined to the database of water rights to summarize the data. Delineated 214 unique “land segments” of similar elevation and aspect. Calculated for each segment the average elevation, slope, hill shade, and aspect. Identified soil parameters using NRCS STATSGO database for each land segment. Mapped the boundaries of the Public Water Systems (PWS) in the Samish Basin. Boundaries were derived either from water rights, parcels, and/or information received from the PWS staff. Conducted a windshield survey of crops grown in the basin and mapped the results. Data were used as input to calculating current irrigated acre estimates. Mapped subbasins inset with tables to provide information for decision makers to use as a reference.

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Nisqually River Level I Watershed Assessment (WRIA 11)

Client: WRIA 11 Planning Unit

Project Description: Using ArcView 3.2, Joanne Greenberg and staff prepared a base map depicting each subbasin along with the major roads, cities and towns, Fort Lewis Army Reserve, and the Nisqually Indian Reservation. All other maps were prepared from the base map and included the distribution of surface and ground water rights, storage rights, Group A and Group B public water systems, and for each subbasin a map showing the annual volume of water allocated for each section divided among ground and surface water rights. The water rights were mapped at the centroid of the quarter-quarter section identified in the Ecology database.

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Wind/White Salmon Level 1 Watershed Assessment (WRIA 29)

Client: with Envirovision, Inc. for WRIA 29 Planning Unit

Project Description: Joanne Greenberg and staff developed a base map depicting each subbasin showing the rivers and streams, major roads, towns and county lines. The base map was used to prepare all other maps including the distribution of surface and ground water rights and claims as well as storage rights, Group A and Group B public water systems, and the the total number of acres associated with each irrigation water right and irrigation claim in one of the subbasins. The water rights were mapped at the centroid of the quarter-quarter section identified in the Ecology database.

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CITYgreen Environmental Analysis

Client: Environmental Resources, Department of Public Works, City of Bellingham, WA

Project Description: CITYgreen 5.0, an ArcView extension, was used to conduct an environmental analysis of the riparian corridors within the City of Bellingham. This was primarily a GIS-based project designated to gain a better understanding of the health of the riparian corridors and the impacts of development in the riparian area. The environmental benefits of forested areas were calculated in terms of air pollution abatement and storm water interception. The results for this study were summarized according to stream segments. Tasks included study site selection, GIS preparation, field data collection, GIS analysis/modeling, and report writing. Project included an in-stream salmonid habitat survey. Conducted by Joanne Greenberg and staff.

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Whatcom Creek TMDL

Client: Environmental Resources, Department of Public Works, City of Bellingham, WA

Project Description: For this temperature TMDL project Joanne Greenberg and staff were responsible for various GIS tasks, primarily digitizing and assigning attributes to vegetation blocks. Fieldwork included ground-truthing vegetation polygons and conducting discharge calculations.

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