Water Reporter App
Water Reporter is a social network optimized to support watershed initiatives. It connects individuals with organizations actively working to protect and improve water quality. Water Reporter offers two ways to make observations--reports and campaigns. Reports allow users to create and share observations with georeferenced photos and comments. You can also contribute to a Campaign, a specialized report focused on a specific water monitoring aspect.
Our Stream Mapper app has been migrated to a Water Reporter campaign which allows you to monitor the physical health of streams in Howard County. You are prompted to upload photos and some basic information about a local stream of your choice. The user enters data about: land use, streamside plants, bank cover, stream width, bank height, bank shape, blockages, trash, invasive plants, sedimentation, exposed utilities, and any unusual conditions.
Ready to get started?
1. Download Water Reporter from iTunes or GooglePlay.
2. Create an account and join the Clean Water Howard Group.
3. Click on the compass icon and choose the Stream Mapper campaign to add your observations. – this step is for making a Stream Mapper report
How to create a basic report (not Stream Mapper):
Other FAQ stuff is here:
https://help.waterreporter.org/basic-users-guide-to-water-reporter
If you have questions about Water Reporter please contact Julie Costantino at jcostantino@howardcountymd.gov.
Stream Finder Map
Find the nearest stream to your home, work, or school by entering the address in the mapping tool. Also, learn which watershed you are in. Then start exploring!
Impervious Surface Estimator Map
For a non-residential/commercial property, enter the property address in this mapping tool to view the impervious area on a property determined via aerial photography and the related Watershed Protection Fee. All non-residential/commercial properties will be assessed a fee of $15 for every 500 square feet of impervious area on a parcel. For the purpose of this fee, impervious area is defined as rooftops, driveways, parking areas, and private roads (including compact gravel areas).
More details about the Watershed Protection Fee for non-residential / commercial property can be found here.