Maryland Healthy Watersheds Assessment

<p><b>Open the Data Resource:</b> <a href='https://gis-data.chesapeakebay.net/Healthy%20Watersheds%20Assessment/Maryland%20Healthy%20Watersheds%20Assessment%20-%20data%20and%20map.zip' rel='nofollow ugc'>https://gis-data.chesapeakebay.net/Healthy%20Watersheds%20Assessment/Maryland%20Healthy%20Watersheds%20Assessment%20-%20data%20and%20map.zip</a></p> <p>The Chesapeake Bay Program has a goal of maintaining the long-term health of watersheds identified as healthy by its partner jurisdictions. Quantitative indicators are important to assess current watershed conditions, track future conditions and assess the vulnerability of these watersheds to future degradation. Building upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Preliminary Healthy Watershed Assessment (PHWA) framework, project analysts assembled and evaluated a set of candidate metrics characterizing multiple aspects of landscape condition, hydrology, geomorphology, habitat, biological condition and water quality for integration into an overall watershed health index. Geospatial analyses were structured, where possible, to leverage data from EPA StreamCat, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the Chesapeake Bay model for nutrient loads and other regional data sources. A set of vulnerability metrics were derived representing aspects of land use change, water use, wildfire risk and climate change. Metric values were compiled for NHDPlus catchments in Maryland and the adjacent drainage area, and were used to assess conditions and vulnerability within the catchments associated with the current set of Tier II, state-identified healthy watersheds. The Maryland Healthy Watersheds Assessment (MDHWA) is a state-specific adaptation of the previously developed healthy watersheds assessment for the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed. Development of the MDHWA establishes a framework of watershed health and vulnerability metrics for assessing Maryland waters and watersheds, making use of more recent and refined regional data, and integrating state-specific data where possible. The assessment is intended to inform watershed management decision-making to sustain the health of state-identified healthy watersheds, which have been defined in Maryland as the watersheds associated with its designated high-quality, Tier II waters. The MDHWA will increase state capacity to better understand the broad spectrum of health and vulnerability issues affecting Maryland’s streams and healthy watersheds.</p> <p>This zipped file includes both the File Geodatabase data and ArcGIS Pro map package.</p>