Progress Report

CICEET Progress Report for the period 9/01/08 Through 2/15/09

Project Title: Planning for Superior Coastal Communities
Principal Investigator(s): Sue O’Halloran
Project Start Date: September 1, 2007
Report Compiled By: Amy Eliot and Sue O’Halloran, Project Coordinators

Figures
Figure 1

Figure 1
Figure 2

Figure 2

Tables
Table 1

Table 1
Project Objectives for This Reporting Period
Objectives
  1. Delineate minor watershed boundaries for streams in the county.
  2. Update a countywide subwatershed map showing the percentages of existing open lands and young forest cover.
  3. Create a minor watershed map showing existing impervious surface and projected impervious surface based on 100% build-out of current zoning.
  4. Education and Outreach
  5. Assist with comprehensive planning - natural resource and land use elements. Continue to attend full and subcommittee meetings.

Tasks to meet objectives

  1. Digitized minor watersheds using a 1:24,000 scale map and revised these boundaries to fit within the USDA Forest Service HUC boundaries.
  2. Calculate the percentage of open lands and young forests (0-15 yrs) in each of the minor watersheds.
  3. Estimate the percentage of impervious surfaces in each of the minor watersheds.
  4. Project amount of impervious surface at 100% buildout within each subwatershed.
  5. Disseminate information compiled through this project to other coastal communities and municipal officials.
  6. Compile information on forest cover/open lands analyses and implications of this research.

Progress on Tasks

  1. Delineation, boundary correction and digitization of minor watershed boundaries in progress.
  2. Spatial analysis of open lands within minor watersheds in progress.
  3. Spatial analysis of impervious surfaces and build-out for minor watersheds in progress.
  4. Factsheets developed that integrate information from the open lands/forest cover watershed analyses (this project) with stream and estuary water quality assessments (Wisconsin Coastal Management Program project)
  5. “Planning for Healthy Watersheds in Wisconsin’s Lake Superior Basin” - Lake Kasumigaura Watershed Management and Restoration 2nd Symposium 2008 ­ Ibaraki University, Japan
  6. Presentation of research, methods and watershed information to natural resource subcommittee.

Difficulties
5. Generated a lot of discussion but still seems difficult for some committee members to understand its importance and application.

Data Generated to date
Watershed Delineations

  • Merging Lake Superior Watershed Comparative Analysis data (forest cover) with digitized Douglas County impervious/open lands data.
  • Correcting overlaps in polygons and ensuring consistency in the database for open land/impervious surface types.
  • Impervious surface estimates for each minor watershed finalized Current estimates Build-out under current zoning categories

Watersheds identified for hydrologic assessment and alternative growth scenarios

  • Selected based on representation of range of conditions present
  • Occurrence of coastal wetlands
  • Other on-going projects that will add information to project

Factsheets

  • Combined percentage forest cover for minor subwatersheds (this project) with volunteer stream water quality and coastal wetland assessment data (Wisconsin Coastal Management Program project) into fact sheets describing a representative watershed in the county.

Project Objectives for Next Reporting Period

Describe technical and non-technical objectives
Technical objectives

  • Conduct watershed vulnerability assessment
  • Conduct hydrologic assessment of three representative sub-watersheds
  • Identify programs and develop alternative growth scenarios and information on low impact design
  • Work with Douglas county staff to make information available on county website and provide necessary training
  • Final spatial analysis for all sub-watersheds and outputs
Non-technical objectives
  • Continue to meet with the planning committee to provide information from the vulnerability and hydrologic assessments; information on impacts of various growth scenarios and low impact design on water resources; and results of build-out analysis and alternative growth scenarios.

Outline work plan to meet identified objectives

  • Continue to participate in work group meetings to assist with the identification of policies and actions for natural, cultural, agricultural and land use elements of plan
  • Convene regional experts to participate in hydrologic analyses of watersheds
  • Work with Northwest Regional Planning consultant on integration of alternative growth scenario information
  • Work with Douglas County GIS, Planning/Zoning and Forestry Department staff to incorporate information and maps into Douglas County website