Aggie WOTUS Map User Guide. A few tips on how to use the interactive, aggie maps that depict the extent of EPA's latest
Aggie WOTUS Map User Guide A few tips on how to use the interactive, aggie maps that depict the extent of EPA’s latest Waters of the U.S. proposal Tool bar The tool bar allows users to customize what is visible on the map.
Print – Allows you to save your map as either a PDF or as an image. Layers – Allows you to select different layers of analysis. The layers are where the bulk of the analysis occurs and are discussed in more detail below. Measure – Easily measure the distance and area of your map. Bookmarks – The contiguous US and Alaska are both bookmarked to make zooming out more efficient. Share – Share your map with others through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. Search – Find a specific address, county, or state quickly. Basemap – Change the background map from imagery, topographic, light gray canvas (featured in below images), and many more. Imagery
Topography
Light Gray Canvas
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Scale The scale is in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. This tool allows you to see how far in or out you are zoomed.
The Data For All States – At the 1 mile scale and closer – the data is taken directly from the USGC National Hydrology Database as provided by the USGS. This layer is called “High-Resolution Streams (fine).” At this resolution streams are color coded by how they are defined by USGS. Use the legend to determine how USGS classifies each feature. Users can also turn on the “Wetlands” layer to view wetlands according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the map below, both layers are turned on.
The Data For Select Mapped States – At the 2 mile scale and higher - For seventeen states users can view the impact of the changed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) definition at a larger scale. The data used to create the WOTUS layers is also from the USGS. Medium Resolution At this resolution all perennial and intermittent streams are colored blue. These streams are those that flow all the time or at least seasonally, rain or not, and more or less represents EPA’s traditional jurisdiction. This is layer is called “Medium Resolution Streams (Contiguous US – Coarse).” High Resolution To visualize the impact of EPA’s latest WOTUS proposal, users can add the “High Resolution Streams (Contiguous US – Coarse),” which includes all perennial and intermittent, but also adds additional features EPA wants jurisdiction over – the ephemeral streams, artificial paths, and canals/ditches that are viewable in the 1 mile scale maps. It’s important to know that because of data limitations, only approximately 30% of these features are captured. Ephemeral streams occur in land where surface runoff channels when it rains. At the 2 mile and higher scale, all of these features are included in one color, red, in the “High Resolution Streams (Contiguous US – Coarse)” layer. Users can also turn on the “FEMA Floodplains (Contiguous U.S.)” layer to depict 100-year FEMA floodplains. Any wet feature within this floodplain area could now be deemed jurisdictional as “adjacent,” another important component of EPA’s WOTUS proposal. EPA intends to regulate what is now red at the High Resolution 2-mile scale. Watch EPA’s proposed jurisdiction change by turning the above mentioned layers on and off. Medium Resolution High Resolution
