Dynamic Watershed Restoration Prioritization and Project Identification in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources’ (GCDWR) Watershed Improvement Program (WIP) conducted a watershed characterization for the entire 437 square mile County to inform the prioritization of restoration and preservation activities at the 1-square mile basin scale. The backbone of the characterization was a repeatable desktop analysis which was then fed into a series of dynamic dashboards hosted in ArcGIS Online and Power BI. Building upon the characterization dashboards, GCDWR worked with Hazen and Sawyer (Hazen) on project identification throughout the County. Hazen developed new Python scripts and dynamic geospatial tools to identify and prioritize projects within high-stress (i.e., low health) watersheds at the parcel scale. This data-driven approach enables GCDWR to balance the current objective of project implementation on publicly owned lands while enhancing stormwater management and water quality benefits in areas of the greatest need. The full suite of interactive dashboards gives GCDWR the ability to modify WIP objectives and priorities, characterize site conditions, and identify opportunities for project implementation ranging from upland stormwater best management practices (BMPs) to stream and wetland restoration. The resulting dashboards provide GCDWR with living tools that facilitate data-driven adaptive management and aid in decision-making. The WIP is currently using the dashboards to develop capital improvement projects and support their Watershed Improvement Plan NPDES permit requirements.