Heavy rain doesn’t just soak the ground—it can overwhelm your drainage systems, wash out roads, and cause thousands of dollars in damage. For local governments, managing stormwater is more than just a public works issue. It’s tied to public safety, infrastructure resilience, and long-term planning.
One of the most effective ways to get ahead of these challenges? Start with a good map. GIS technology can help counties and municipalities understand how water moves through their landscape and plan smarter from the start. Here’s how.
Understand How Water Moves
Before you can solve drainage issues, you need to see where the water is going. GIS lets you model how water flows across your county using elevation data, soil maps, and land cover information.
This isn’t guesswork, it’s based on real terrain data, such as LiDAR, that shows subtle slopes and low points. With the right layers in place, you can simulate how rainwater moves during a storm, whether it’s running across pavement, soaking into open fields, or pooling in flood-prone areas.
You can also bring in SSURGO data from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. It includes important details about local soil types, like permeability and drainage class, which help refine runoff models even further.
Spot Trouble Areas Early
If your team gets frequent calls about the same flooding spot, there’s probably a pattern. GIS helps you spot those patterns quickly by pulling together service records, public reports, and maintenance data into one visual layer.
Maybe there’s a culvert that overflows every spring or a low-lying road that always ices over. By mapping these recurring issues, you can identify priority areas for repair or redesign—and make the case for funding with clear evidence.
For many InteractiveGIS users, these hotspot maps connect directly to internal dashboards or mobile inspection apps, so field teams and office staff always stay in sync.
Plan with Confidence
Once you’ve mapped how water moves and where problems occur, you can begin planning improvements with confidence. GIS tools support everything from choosing the right size for a new culvert to figuring out where a retention basin would be most effective.
You can also model how new development might impact runoff or use map-based tools to align capital improvement plans with your drainage priorities. With everything organized in one place, you’ll save time, reduce confusion, and be ready to revisit the data whenever new projects come up.
Support Compliance and Funding
For municipalities managing MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) requirements, GIS can help keep track of outfalls, inspections, maintenance activities, and best management practices. Having this data well organized makes regulatory reporting much easier.
It also comes in handy when applying for grants. When you can show clear, data-supported maps and a thoughtful plan, you’re more likely to stand out—especially when competing for state or federal funding.
Check out this download from the EPA for helpful information.
Keep Everyone on the Same Page
Stormwater planning involves more than just engineers. With web-based GIS, you can share interactive maps with board members, community leaders, and the public.
Instead of explaining a project with spreadsheets and technical drawings, you can simply show the map. It helps build trust, clarify goals, and support better decision-making.
We’re Here to Help
InteractiveGIS works with counties, towns and cities across the country to build custom GIS platforms that make stormwater management more efficient and more transparent. Whether you’re dealing with aging infrastructure or just getting started with data collection, we can help you:
- Model drainage and runoff
- Map infrastructure and maintenance records
- Monitor compliance
- Visualize future needs and project impacts
- Share progress with your community
Interested in seeing how your stormwater strategy could start with a better map? Contact us to schedule a free demo using your own data so you can see our software in action!
