State of Washington receives $679K U.S. Geological Survey…

PROJECT ABSTRACT SUMMARYPROJECT TITLE: WASHINGTON STATE FY2027 WASHD SURFACE WATER MAPPINGPROJECT DATES: 10 1 2026 THROUGH 9 30 2029AWARD PURPOSE:SURFACE WATERS AND THEIR CONNECTED RIPARIAN ZONES ARE CRITICAL IN SUPPORTING WATER QUALITY AND THE HEALTH OF AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL SPECIES THROUGHOUT WASHINGTON STATE. UNDERSTANDING THE LOCATION OF THE STATES SURFACE WATER IS NEEDED FOR ASSESSING, MONITORING, AND PROTECTING THESE ECOSYSTEMS, AT STATEWIDE, WATERSHED, AND LOCAL SCALES. IN 2024, ECOLOGY WAS FUNDED BY WASHINGTON STATE TO CONDUCT A FIVE-YEAR PROJECT TO UPDATE THE STATES HYDROGRAPHY.THE WASHINGTON STATE HYDROGRAPHY DATASET PROGRAM (WASHD) HAS COORDINATED EFFORTS TO REMAP THE STATES HYDROGRAPHY BY WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, CONTRACTORS, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND USGS STAFF TO MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS OF USGS 3D HYDROGRAPH PROGRAM (3DHP). ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED, DELIVERABLES, EXPECTED OUTCOMES:THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE PURCHASE OF ELEVATION DERIVED HYDROGRAPHY (EDH) DATASETS THAT MEET USGS SPECIFICATIONS THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE 3DHP. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO FILLING IN MISSING AREAS IN WASHINGTON STATE. DATA COLLECTION UNDER THIS PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON FOUR REGIONS IN THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE STATE AND MAP APPROXIMATELY 10,623 SQUARE MILES. THIS AREA IS SELECTED BECAUSE OF THE AVAILABILITY OF 3D ELEVATION PROGRAM (3DEP) VERIFIED LIDAR DATA IN A CONTIGUOUS REGION. SEVERAL SURVEYS OF THE 200 WASHINGTON STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFIED SHOW THAT STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFY ACCURACY AS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR A USEFUL HYDROGRAPHY DATASET. IN ADDITION, A RECENT SURVEY DURING A STAKEHOLDER MEETING SHOWED THAT 90% OF THE ATTENDEES RANK HYDROGRAPHY AS EITHER A 4 OR 5 OUT OF 5 AS A CRITICAL PART OF THEIR WORK. IN ADDITION, 93% OF THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS SAID THEY PLAN TO USE 3DHP WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE. THIS BROAD SUPPORT OF THE WASHINGTON STATE HYDROGRAPHY COMMUNITY HELPS ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THE 3DHP MODEL STATEWIDE.INTENDED BENEFICIARY(IES):STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, THE WASHINGTON STATE HYDROGRAPHY COMMUNITY, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: N A