Compendium of Approaches to Evaluating the Water Quality Effects of TMDL Implementation

Evaluating the Water Quality Effects of TMDL Implementation: How States Have Done It and the Lessons Learned highlights the diversity of approaches to evaluating the water quality effects of TMDL implementation, explains some of those methods, and conveys lessons learned. It also details terminology challenges and identifies relevant resource materials.

Approaches to Clean Water Communication: Dashboards

Dashboards allow relevant information, including maps, graphs, pictures, and narrative elements, to be placed together at the viewer's fingertips. The examples included here are not to be comprehensive; rather, their collection is meant to facilitate the sharing of ideas among water quality programs, especially CWA 303(d) programs, and generate new ideas about how to use this tool for different purposes.

 

Approaches to Clean Water Communication: Story Maps & Dashboards

Interactive digital tools have been an increasingly important means of communication for water quality programs. Two examples of such tools are Esri ArcGIS Story Maps and dashboards. Story Maps allow the inclusion of multimedia elements, such as pictures and interactive maps, within a guided narrative. Dashboards can be built through ArcGIS Story Map App Templates, ArcGIS Dashboards, and Tableau, and other products, and allow for key metrics and pieces of information to be displayed side-by-side.

To see examples of each type of product, click one of the links below.

Giving Green Streets the Green Light: Improving Water Quality Through Capital Improvement Policies
Author
Cynthia R. Harris and Christina Libre
Date Released
June 2019
Giving Green Streets the Green Light: Improving Water Quality Through Capital Im

The vast majority of assessed water bodies across the United States are designated as impaired. Cities contribute to the problem with stormwater runoff from roads, buildings, sidewalks, and other impervious surfaces polluting our rivers, lakes and streams. Indeed, many localities are on the hook to meet a gamut of regulatory requirements, from MS4 permits to TMDLs in order to reduce polluted runoff. Innovative localities are turning to green infrastructure practices to reduce flooding, control erosion, and prevent polluted runoff from entering streams and other waterbodies.