The Stormwater Report

In June, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the new DC Tree Watering Application. Bowser demonstrated the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) innovative new app to highlight the value of and need for community assistance in keeping newly planted trees hydrated. “We are committed to embracing smart technology across city government, and with the launch […]

In mid-May the University of Connecticut announced an expansion to its free rain-garden smartphone application. It is now a multistate application, available for both iOS and Android devices, that contains information on plants, sizing, and soils for 13 states. Originally developed for Connecticut with funding from Connecticut Sea Grant, the rain-garden mobile application helps users […]

Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing a neighborhood watch system for Georgia waters called CyanoTRACKER. The early warning system will use social media platforms and cloud computing to crowdsource instances where further monitoring of algae conditions may be necessary. The project will use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to help identify localized blooms at […]

Technology is increasing opportunities for crowdsourcing water data. CrowdHydrology, a new phone application that debuted at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Dec. 2014, allows citizen scientists to report stream depths at various gauging stations and is run in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. The stations have signs asking people to report the stream […]

In downtown Burlington, Vt., people stop to examine a blue rain barrel decorated with a metal submarine. It is one of 19 barrels transformed by local artists to tell the story of a raindrop and how it affects local water quality. The rain barrels line Burlington’s downtown thoroughfares leading to the edge of Lake Champlain. […]

Kingsport, Tenn., debuted a stormwater mobile application as part of an Earth Day celebration. The app, intended for children, features Stormy, the water drop. Stormy guides children through a scavenger hunt designed to teach them about stormwater issues. The hunt takes children around to different outfalls where they can scan QR codes on posted signs. […]

Mobile applications, online tools, and interactive maps are being used more and more as a useful way to display data in a user- friendly way and, in some cases, even to collect information. Here are some examples of recently released maps and apps. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an interactive map that is […]