Using a GIS Inventory to Guide the Storm Water Program in Fort Worth

When the City of Fort Worth, Texas, created a storm water utility in 2006, developing a detailed GIS-based inventory and map of the City's storm water assets was identified as a high priority because of the potential value added to the planning, design, and construction of over $1 billion in storm water infrastructure improvements. The Storm Water GIS Inventory would: ≤ Enable spatial planning of long-term capital improvement projects ≤ Provide accurate emergency response information for environmental spills ≤ Enhance reporting capabilities for permit requirements ≤ Track maintenance needs of source control and treatment control BMPs ≤ Provide data to support Watershed Planning Studies, hydraulic modeling, condition assessment, and asset management The program included the development of a detailed database, including a strategy to collect data and record attributes for the huge system. Over 20,000 plan sheets were catalogued, leading to link-node schematics for 36,000 inlets, 9,000 manholes, and over 1,200 miles of pipeline. The four-year program is now in its final year. The GIS is being prepared to enter into the maintenance cycle and feed into Fort Worth's new condition assessment and asset management program. A critical lesson learned is how to establish filters for data QC given the varying range of assets and attributes captured. Special training and standard methods were also required to read plans for pipeline features that date back 100 years to the oldest infrastructure in the city. Collaboration between teams entering and reviewing data was critical to final acceptance and use of the data.