NJWSA Acquisition Program

Sensitive Water Resource Open Space Criteria: A GIS-based Model for Acquisition Program

The New Jersey Water Supply Authority (Authority) has used GIS technology to identify potential properties through open space acquisition program to ensure the sensitive water resources areas are properly protected.

The Authority developed a GIS model to identify, acquire, and manage critical watershed parcels to improve the protection of water resources. The GIS model incorporated about 20 different data layers based on the criteria selected by the Authority acquisition workgroup, which included riparian areas, core/dense forested areas, critical habitats/threatened & endangered species, highly erodible soils, primary ground water recharge areas, primary aquifer recharge areas, and so on. The model ranked each property relatively based on their sensitive water resources values (percentage in water resource areas) and the property size (acreage of each property); this will help to determine which properties provide the highest value for preservation.

The model will also help to control land development by clustering away from sensitive water resource areas to ensure those areas would not be developed, damaged or destroyed, and assist open space acquisition entities to avoid open space isolation and create continuous green corridors. The GIS model will also give interested organizations the flexibility to customize their own criteria based on their conservation priorities. The whole process involves intensive GIS data manipulation and analysis using readily available GIS information, remote sensing, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and aerial photography.

Demonstration of the Development Process of the GIS Model

Sensitive Water Resources Open Space GIS Model Flowchart

Sensitive Water Resource Areas on Crystal Springs

Check the GIS Map Gallery of the Watershed Protection Program Division