The technical objective of this project is to develop water source maps for major Department of Defense (DoD) installations and a Spatial Data Standards for Facilities, Infrastructure, and Environment (SDSFIE) standardized spatial dataset that can be used in Defense Installations Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal (DISDI) throughout the DoD to better communicate water security risks. This effort will provide a visual, accessible, and readily communicated summary of water sources at major DoD installations and provide these data in a format that can be used in mapping platforms across the DoD. Military installations must have access to the water resources necessary to ensure readiness and successfully execute the DoD mission – today, and in the future. Increasing demand for water resources in the western United States, together with unpredictable extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns, pose a serious risk to water resources and thus military readiness.

The mapping for this project will be an extension of the maps at 36 major installations previously completed as part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for FY22 Water Banking to Support Installation Resilience. Deliverables will include physical maps of 114-150 major DoD installations and their water sources as well as standardized spatial data that can be used in DoD platforms like DISDI.

The technical approach of this project includes streamlining the water source research methodology (including organizing existing sources by state), developing a SDSFIE compliant template database for water source data, adding the water source data from the previous effort into the new template, refining the existing ArcGIS Pro map book template to incorporate additional installations, adding installation water sources geographic information systems elements into the DISDI portal, and generating 114-150 additional installation water source results for incorporation into future climate efforts.

The maps to be produced by this effort will visually document the water sources of water supply, represent the spatial extent to which water is imported, indicate whether groundwater is an installation’s sole water source, and visually communicate the exposure of installation water sources to climate change. Having these available for individual installations would more effectively communicate risk than text describing water sources. Based on the 36 installations already mapped, many rely on Colorado River water, and as climate change and population growth heightens demand on the already overallocated water source, installations will need to effectively understand the extent of their water sources to plan for future water needs and use to sustain mission readiness.