The Upper The Upper Susquehanna-Susquehanna-Lackawanna WatershedLackawanna WatershedCommunity Community Demonstration Project Demonstration Project of the NSDI Programof the NSDI Program

Dale Bruns and Tom SweetDale Bruns and Tom SweetPA GIS ConsortiumPA GIS Consortium

Sweet SolutionsSweet Solutions

pagis.orgpagis.org

Overview of Overview of PresentationPresentation

Location and BackgroundLocation and Background AccomplishmentsAccomplishments

1 Established PA GIS Consortium1 Established PA GIS Consortium

2 Launched GIS Master Plan for an American Heritage 2 Launched GIS Master Plan for an American Heritage River Designated WatershedRiver Designated Watershed

3 Implemented design and deployment of a 3 Implemented design and deployment of a locally locally independent, regionally coordinated, multi-purposeindependent, regionally coordinated, multi-purpose GIS for Central and Northeastern PennsylvaniaGIS for Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania

Community BenefitsCommunity Benefits On-Going and Future Projects On-Going and Future Projects

Project Project LocationLocation Susquehanna River Susquehanna River

drains the largest U.S. drains the largest U.S. river basin on the river basin on the Atlantic coastAtlantic coast

PA GIS Consortium

Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed’s Relationship to the Watershed’s Relationship to the Chesapeake Bay EcosystemChesapeake Bay Ecosystem

Pennsylvania

ChesapeakeBay

Susquehanna River contributes Susquehanna River contributes to over half of the freshwater to over half of the freshwater inflow to the Chesapeake Bayinflow to the Chesapeake Bay

120,000 acres of Abandoned 120,000 acres of Abandoned Mine Lands within the Upper Mine Lands within the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Susquehanna-Lackawanna River BasinRiver Basin

3600 square miles - watershed 3600 square miles - watershed delineation with Anthracite delineation with Anthracite FieldsFields

Photo: Typical Photo: Typical Pennsylvania Pennsylvania LandscapeLandscape

PA GIS Consortium

Photo: Mining Photo: Mining OperationOperation

PA GIS Consortium

Photo: Proximity of Photo: Proximity of Mining to Human Mining to Human LandscapeLandscape

PA GIS Consortium

Brief History of AreaBrief History of Area160 Years of Anthracite Mining160 Years of Anthracite Mining

– Surface Mining (base of mountain valleys)Surface Mining (base of mountain valleys)– Subsurface Mining (980 feet beneath the river)Subsurface Mining (980 feet beneath the river)

Five Billion Tons of Coal Removed (1807-1967)Five Billion Tons of Coal Removed (1807-1967)

1959 Knox Mine Disaster1959 Knox Mine Disaster– Breach in the river (100,000 gallons per minute): “runaway” Breach in the river (100,000 gallons per minute): “runaway”

whirlpoolwhirlpool– 200 rail cars, rocks, ties, poles, and hay dumped into hole200 rail cars, rocks, ties, poles, and hay dumped into hole

PA GIS Consortium

Filmclip: Filmclip: Knox Mine DisasterKnox Mine Disaster

PA GIS Consortium

Persistent Water Quality Persistent Water Quality ProblemsProblems

Severely degraded stream with urban debris and mining sedimentsSeverely degraded stream with urban debris and mining sediments

Mapping mine outfall locations with GPS technologiesMapping mine outfall locations with GPS technologies

PA GIS Consortium

Abandoned Mine Abandoned Mine LandsLands

PA GIS Consortium

Strip MineStrip Mine

Reclaimed LandReclaimed Land

Culm BankCulm Bank

What was What was accomplishedaccomplishedin Demonstration in Demonstration ProjectProject

PART 1PART 1

Established PA GIS Established PA GIS ConsortiumConsortium

What is the PA GIS What is the PA GIS Consortium?Consortium?

Incorporated as a Pennsylvania-Incorporated as a Pennsylvania-based 501(C)(3)based 501(C)(3)

Administered through it’s startup Administered through it’s startup phase by an independent Board of phase by an independent Board of DirectorsDirectors

Looking for local partners, Looking for local partners, members and sponsorsmembers and sponsors

What is the PA GIS What is the PA GIS Consortium’s Consortium’s mission?mission?

To support the design and To support the design and

deployment of deployment of locally independent, locally independent,

regionally coordinated, multi-regionally coordinated, multi-

purposepurpose Geographic Information Geographic Information

Systems for Central and Systems for Central and

Northeastern PennsylvaniaNortheastern Pennsylvania

What that means in What that means in order of priorityorder of priority

Support the design and deployment of Support the design and deployment of GIS that meet local needs and preserve GIS that meet local needs and preserve local independencelocal independence

Do so in a regionally coordinated Do so in a regionally coordinated manner that increases efficiency and manner that increases efficiency and effectivenesseffectiveness

Increase savings and leveraging power Increase savings and leveraging power by getting multiple uses of the end by getting multiple uses of the end product(s)product(s)

Education Sector Education Sector PartnersPartners

Wilkes University Wilkes University – Center for Geographic Information Center for Geographic Information

SciencesSciences King’s CollegeKing’s College

– The Marketing and Planning (MAP) The Marketing and Planning (MAP) Center in the William G. McGowan Center in the William G. McGowan School of BusinessSchool of Business

Private Sector Private Sector PartnersPartners

ESRIESRI Marconi Imaging SystemsMarconi Imaging Systems Aerial Data Reduction Aerial Data Reduction

(ADR)(ADR) CETROMCETROM ERIM ERIM

Public Sector Public Sector Partners (Federal)Partners (Federal)

Vice President Gore’s National Vice President Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Partnership for Reinventing GovernmentGovernment

Federal Geographic Data Committee Federal Geographic Data Committee of the U.S. Department of the Interiorof the U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersU.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Department of AgricultureU.S. Department of Agriculture

Public Sector Public Sector Partners (State)Partners (State)

Pennsylvania Mapping and Pennsylvania Mapping and Geographic Information Geographic Information ConsortiumConsortium

Department of Environmental Department of Environmental ProtectionProtection

Local PartnersLocal Partners

Luzerne CountyLuzerne County The Town of BloomsburgThe Town of Bloomsburg Columbia CountyColumbia County Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business

and Industryand Industry Wyoming Valley Sanitary AuthorityWyoming Valley Sanitary Authority Earth ConservancyEarth Conservancy

Created Regional Visualization Web Created Regional Visualization Web SitesSites

mapcenter.orgmapcenter.org

PA GIS Consortium

Regional Regional Visualization Visualization

CenterCenter paheritageriver.org/pagis.orgpaheritageriver.org/pagis.org

PA GIS Consortium

paheritageriver.orgpaheritageriver.org

pagis.orgpagis.org

Regional Regional Visualization Visualization

CenterCenter mapcenter.orgmapcenter.org

PA GIS Consortium

mapcenter.orgmapcenter.org

Regional Regional Visualization Visualization

CenterCenter paheritageriver.orgpaheritageriver.org

PA GIS Consortium

paheritageriver.orgpaheritageriver.org

Regional Regional Visualization Visualization

CenterCenter pagis.org 1pagis.org 1

PA GIS Consortium

pagis.orgpagis.org

Regional Regional Visualization Visualization

CenterCenter pagis.org 2pagis.org 2

PA GIS Consortium

What was What was accomplishedaccomplishedin Demonstration in Demonstration ProjectProject

PART 2PART 2

Launched GIS Master Plan for Launched GIS Master Plan for an American Heritage River an American Heritage River Designated WatershedDesignated Watershed

GIS for Watershed Analysis

Wilkes-Barre

Nanticoke

GeoSpatial Technologies for Coal Field GeoSpatial Technologies for Coal Field ReclamationReclamation Characterize and Characterize and

AssessAssess– Ecological conditions Ecological conditions

(2000 square mile (2000 square mile area)area)

– Anthracite FieldsAnthracite Fields strip minesstrip mines mine poolmine pool culm banksculm banks acid mine outfallsacid mine outfalls

Geospatial Geospatial

TechnologiesTechnologies– GIS and GPSGIS and GPS– Remote Sensing and Remote Sensing and

Digital Digital PhotogrammetryPhotogrammetry

Watershed AnalysisWatershed Analysis– provide first step to provide first step to

testing landscape-testing landscape-watershed indicators watershed indicators of pollution of pollution

– regional scale regional scale (federal) data(federal) data

PA GIS Consortium

Site of Knox Mine Disaster

from Landscape to Watershed to Stream from Landscape to Watershed to Stream ReachReach

PA GIS Consortium

Ecosystem HierarchyEcosystem Hierarchy

Environmental Environmental Applications of Federal Applications of Federal Data Data (small-scale)(small-scale)

DOI, Office of Surface MiningDOI, Office of Surface Mining– Abandoned Mine Lands (120,000 acres)Abandoned Mine Lands (120,000 acres)– Acid Mine Drainage (51 tons of iron/day on river corridor Acid Mine Drainage (51 tons of iron/day on river corridor

at low flow)at low flow) DOI, U.S. Geological SurveyDOI, U.S. Geological Survey

– Water Quality, Hydrography, WatershedsWater Quality, Hydrography, Watersheds– Digital raster graphs, DOQQDigital raster graphs, DOQQ

EPA EnviroMapper: OpenLinks on WebEPA EnviroMapper: OpenLinks on Web EPAEPA

– Acid Mine StreamsAcid Mine Streams– Mid-Resolution Land Characterization (MRLC)Mid-Resolution Land Characterization (MRLC)– EPA BASINS: STORET Data and Models on GISEPA BASINS: STORET Data and Models on GIS

Poster of GIS Poster of GIS Benefits for Benefits for Environmental Environmental RestorationRestoration

PA GIS ConsortiumLandscape-Watershed Landscape-Watershed AnalysisAnalysis land coverland cover macroinvertebrate communitiesmacroinvertebrate communities biodiversity indexbiodiversity index statistic correlation (land cover vs. water chemistry, macroinvertebrates and statistic correlation (land cover vs. water chemistry, macroinvertebrates and

biodiversity)biodiversity)

Solomon Creek Solomon Creek WatershedWatershed

Taxa RichnessTaxa Richness

Rich Taxa Poor Taxa

Solomon Creek Watershed

Green represents taxa richness variations

USGS mining impacted areas shown in brown

PA GIS Consortium

PROPORTION IN BARREN (MINING)

TA

XA

RIC

HN

ES

S

0

4

8

12

16

0 0.1 0.2 0.3

r = -0.78, P < 0.001

All IndicesAll Indices

Solomon Creek Solomon Creek WatershedWatershed

PA GIS Consortium

Poster of Watershed Poster of Watershed and GIS Analysis and GIS Analysis Flow ChartFlow Chart

USGS Water Quality Survey:USGS Water Quality Survey:The 100 Largest Mine Discharge Sites in the Anthracite The 100 Largest Mine Discharge Sites in the Anthracite

RegionRegion

PA GIS Consortium

EPA EMPACT EPA EMPACT presentation mappresentation map

PA GIS Consortium

What was What was accomplishedaccomplishedin Demonstration in Demonstration ProjectProject

PART 3PART 3

Implemented Implemented locally locally independent, regionally independent, regionally coordinated, multi-purposecoordinated, multi-purpose GIS Deployment Strategy for GIS Deployment Strategy for Central and Northeastern Central and Northeastern PennsylvaniaPennsylvania

PA GIS Consortium Flight Flight 20002000

InitiativeInitiative

Final Target AreaFinal Target Area

Original Target AreaOriginal Target Area

Local and Regional Local and Regional GIS: ImplementationGIS: Implementation

Data acquisition and maintenanceData acquisition and maintenance

Base mapping (parcel management)Base mapping (parcel management)

Hardware and software acquisitionHardware and software acquisition

Education and trainingEducation and training

Technology transferTechnology transfer

Data Distribution Data Distribution Strategy for Regional Strategy for Regional GISGIS

Data Exchange Procedures Data Exchange Procedures – facilitate distributed data storagefacilitate distributed data storage– coordinate maintenance and access coordinate maintenance and access

Design of a GIS Architecture PlanDesign of a GIS Architecture Plan– ArcIMSArcIMS– ESRI Partner Support ESRI Partner Support

– (Chris Cappelli-Philadelphia office)(Chris Cappelli-Philadelphia office)

Internet

PA GIS Consortium

Data Distribution StrategyData Distribution Strategy

LOCALCountyMunicipalityAgencyUniversityOtherL1 L2 L3

PA GIS CONSORTIUMregional coordination

PUBLICOTHER LOCALSTATEFEDERAL

UsersUsers

images

BASICBROWSER

ENHANCEDBROWSER

SDE

ArcIMS

WEB Server

DATADATA

SDESDE

ArcIMS

WEB Server

DATA

Regional Model:Regional Model:Distributed GISDistributed GIS((locally maintained andlocally maintained andregionally coordinated)regionally coordinated)

vectors, features

Large Scale/Local Data

Start-up Start-up Applications of Applications of ArcIMSArcIMS

Parcel Maps and Ortho-photos Parcel Maps and Ortho-photos – Municipal and County PartnersMunicipal and County Partners– Local Large Scale DataLocal Large Scale Data

Local Data linked to EPA EnviroMapperLocal Data linked to EPA EnviroMapper– ““data fusion” local to federaldata fusion” local to federal

Real-time Water Quality InstrumentationReal-time Water Quality Instrumentation– One of five sites in Chesapeake Bay WatershedOne of five sites in Chesapeake Bay Watershed– EPA Community EMPACT “tech-transfer”EPA Community EMPACT “tech-transfer”– Goal: Kiosk link to Baltimore National AquariumGoal: Kiosk link to Baltimore National Aquarium

Community BenefitsCommunity Benefits

Mistake Mistake avoidanceavoidance

Improve data Improve data managementmanagement

Reduced startup Reduced startup times and coststimes and costs

Cost sharing Cost sharing activitiesactivities

Economies of Economies of scalescale

Past deployments Past deployments of this model of this model have produced have produced savings of 10 to savings of 10 to 75 cents on the 75 cents on the dollardollar

of a of a locally independent, regionally locally independent, regionally coordinated coordinated GISGIS

NSDI Project Benefits NSDI Project Benefits and Conclusionand Conclusion

NSDI Project BenefitsNSDI Project Benefits

Community mobilization Community mobilization for environmental for environmental reclamationreclamation

Helping to diminish the Helping to diminish the “Digital Divide”“Digital Divide”

Reduced startup times Reduced startup times and costsand costs

Cost sharing and Cost sharing and reduction activitiesreduction activities

Facilitate land use Facilitate land use planning for “Smart planning for “Smart Growth”Growth”

Launching GIS Launching GIS Watershed PlanWatershed Plan

Deployment of locally Deployment of locally independent GIS with independent GIS with investment in base investment in base map ortho-photosmap ortho-photos

On-Going and Future On-Going and Future Consortium ProjectsConsortium Projects

Environmental Master Plan of the Upper Environmental Master Plan of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna WatershedSusquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed

Support to the American Heritage River Support to the American Heritage River InitiativeInitiative

EPA Environmental Initiative (Project EPA Environmental Initiative (Project EMPACT - Chesapeake Bay Watershed)EMPACT - Chesapeake Bay Watershed)

USDA Rural GISUSDA Rural GIS Flight 2000: Data Processing and Flight 2000: Data Processing and

DistributionDistribution

Congressman Paul Congressman Paul Kanjorski and StaffKanjorski and Staff

Department of InteriorDepartment of Interior– NSDI ProgramNSDI Program– FGDCFGDC

U. S. EPA U. S. EPA (Dave Catlin, (Dave Catlin,

NSDI GIS Champion)NSDI GIS Champion)

USDA USDA (sponsor of AHR (sponsor of AHR Navigator, Alex Rogers)Navigator, Alex Rogers)

USGSUSGS U. S. Army Corps of U. S. Army Corps of

EngineersEngineers King’s CollegeKing’s College Wilkes UniversityWilkes University ESRI ESRI (Chris Cappelli)(Chris Cappelli) Sweet SolutionsSweet Solutions Marconi Marconi

Systems/ADRSystems/ADR

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

PA GIS Consortium

Contact information:Contact information: pagis.orgpagis.org