The PA Environmental Council Tuesday unveiled a new website-- WaterResourcespa.org-- that allows the public to identify water quality impaired streams, illegal dumpsites, areas covered by stormwater management plans and much more.

PEC staff works with numerous partners across the state to help build local stewards for Pennsylvania’s varied natural resources including land and water trails, forests, and watersheds.

Through these efforts, PEC has developed user-friendly tools to help residents and local organizations learn about and understand the ways in which they can interact and have access to these special places, while at the understanding how to best protect them at the same time.

One of these is GoToTrails, PEC’s online mapping tool. Designed to provide a “google-like” interface for GIS, this popular site allows users to identify trail networks, plan new connections, and manage existing ones.

With the help of Environmental Planning & Design, PEC used the GoToTrails platform to build an additional tool specifically designed to meet the needs of the many watershed organizations across the state.

WaterResourcespa.org allows users to research a variety of watershed spatial and assessment data, overlay with basic demographic information, draw maps, and produce graphics.

Through PEC’s interactive water resource mapping system, PEC has included popular water resource information layers including, stream-designated uses, impaired streams, TMDL designated tributaries, MS4 communities, areas covered by Act 167 stormwater management plans, and Keep PA Beautiful’s Illegal dumpsites.

Users can select a particular area and look at the underlying data layer metrics.

The site also enables the user to create maps with a variety of base layers such as topography, street, and aerial imagery.

PEC’s goal is to create a tool which brings a variety of water-related information, typically available on multiple sites to just one location.

PEC unveiled the prototype version this spring at a series of regional watershed meetings while the website was being developed and asked for feedback. PEC used input from users to create the version you can now access here.

PEC hopes you’ll find this tool helpful and let us know if you have any suggestions that will help us improve the site.

Visit the WaterResourcespa.org website and explore your watershed.  Questions should be directed to Sue Myerov, PEC Watersheds Program Director, 215-545-4570 or send email to: smyerov@pecpa.org.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

NewsClips:

Outdoors Notebook: Susquehanna River Cleanup Stalled

Reading Students Raise Money For Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Rain Garden At Manor College To Help Preserve Jenkintown Creek

Hundreds Help Cleanup The Delaware River In Pike County

Tires And More Found In Upper Delaware River Cleanup

Delaware RiverKeeper July 22 RiverWatch Video Report

Video: 2016 Delaware River Sojourn

7/25/2016