Web-Based Decision Tools for Watershed Management
• http://www.epa.gov/ waterspace/
Original Presentation Design and Execution: Zenny K. Sadlon
Locally Led Watershed Management
• Bringing together scientific information
• Screening alternatives
• Writing, evaluating, and adjusting plans
Making Local Land Use Decisions
• “What you do on the land, affects the quality of the water in the waterways.”
In Wisconsin
1. 85% of the Land Is Owned by Private Parties 2. Local Governments (1,800+ Units in Wisconsin) Have Primary Responsibility for Regulating Land Uses
In Wisconsin
• Private Landowners Make Land Use Decisions That Affect the Environment Citizens Forming Partnerships Neither Typically Have Adequate Information About Decision Impacts
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• Offers state and local decision-makers thirteen regional decision support tools • Includes bundled data • Means of clear impact analysis
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Origin: April 2002 Midwest Web-based Spatial Workshop in Chicago
Co-hosts: Purpose: Participants: US EPA Region 5, Michigan State University, and Purdue University Demonstration of various Decision Support and GIS Systems State, Federal, and Tribal water resource managers Land Grant University Extension community, Watershed managers, and local government representatives
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Members: 1. Indiana Department of Environmental Management 2. International City/County Management Association 3. Michigan State University, Institute of Water Research
4. Purdue University - Agricultural and Biological
Engineering, Forestry and Natural Resources
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Members: 5. State University of New York at Buffalo 6. University of Wisconsin Extension 7. U.S. EPA, Region 5 - Office of Public Affairs,
Water Division and the Office of Information Services
8. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
9. U. S. EPA/HQ - Office of Water Smart Growth Team
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
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Purpose: Development, promotion and use of webbased, user-friendly, geo-spatial watershed management data and decision support tools Help set the standard for other watershed management programs
– – – Promoting data initiatives Relating specific tools to planning process phases and learning objectives Creating systems where outputs of tools can be plugged into other models
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Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Accomplishments: 1. Brought together tool developers, resource managers, and decision makers: Federal, State, Tribal, Regional Plann’g Commissions & Local 2. Commitment from participants to advance Region-wide SDSS efforts 3. ICMA and Extension Community are helping to achieve local community outreach, and capacity development 4. RPC’s are asking for hands-on workshops
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Lessons learned: 1. WDNR & RPC workshops confirmed local decision makers’ preferences for certain tool characteristics: web-based, spatial, public domain
2. Scalability allows each level of decision maker look at appropriate level of data and detail
- 8 digit watershed for big picture perspective - 12 digit watershed for local analysis of proposed actions
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
Lessons learned: 3 Consistent data and methodology allow easy access to a variety of data. The demand for data is both vertical & horizontal.
4. Our focus is on public domain tools and data to ensure wide accessibility
Midwest Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support Systems
5. We’re seeking input from decision makers, provide constant feedback to developers, and have mechanisms in place for this purpose
- WDNR Evaluations - Direct feedback from workshop participants
6. We’re taking the feedback and issues we get, both Regionally and nationally, and advancing those across Agency lines
Unique & Emerging Characteristics Of The Tools
In demand by
local officials, natural resource managers, and the general public
because they deliver ease of use, bundled data, and means of clear impact analysis:
1. Web-based
2. Spatially Based and Scalable 3. Science-based 4. Accessible (in Public Domain) 5. Intuitive 6. Customizable via Features & Plug-ins 7. Free-standing
The Midwest Partnership:
Sponsoring certain Decision Support Tools & Data Initiatives to serve the needs of local decision-makers We’re expanding our outreach activities and partnerships to reach others who serve the needs of local communities, Providing direct feedback from decision-makers to tool developers
The Midwest Partnership:
We are exerting leadership, both Regionally and nationally, to advance SDSS efforts A unique Federal-State-Local Government partnership to promote decision support tools for watershed management & land use decision-making