Case Study Watershed: Spring Creek Watershed

The conservationist perspective has a different emphasis than the researcher perspective. Instead of looking at the different factors which affect a particular process, the conservationist perspective presents hydrologic information about the case study site of the Spring Creek Watershed in central Pennsylvania. These two maps show the location of the watershed and the major features in the watershed.

Source Data for both maps:Environmental Resources Research Institute at The Pennsylvania State University.

This second map shows the main stream in the watershed, Spring Creek. In addition, it shows the main tributaries to Spring Creek: Logan Branch, Buffalo Run, Slab Cabin Run, and Cedar Run. In addition, the dry or intermittent stream of Big Hollow is also shown.

The following table lists the annual flow and precipitation in the watershed.

Stream Flow and Precipitation for Spring Creek Watershed: 1968-1995

About 57% of the precipitation leaves the watershed as stream flow.

NOTE: The interactive map features are currently under revision.

Click the button below to load an interactive map for stream flow in Spring Creek Watershed. After you click the button, a small window will appear and then a second larger window. Be sure to wait until all the maps have been loaded into this second window. If you get an error message when you try to load the map or if the maps are not in color, close both map windows and try again.

Using the interactive map or GIS

For example, we can remove the surface drainage layer and replace it with the subwatershed layer. Click the check next to surface drainage to hide that layer and click the empty box next to subwatersheds to show that layer. Notice that each major tributary is associated with a subwatershed.

Now notice how the legend around the perennial stream legend is raised up like a button. This indicates that this layer has been selected. Later on when we use some of the function buttons we will need to select different map layers.

Now we will deal with the function buttons along the top of the GIS. At any point if you forget what a button does, click the ? button and it will list descriptions of all the buttons. The first four buttons and the sixth button (with a house) are used to change the view of the map. The first button zooms in a set amount each time. The second button zooms in to a box you draw. The third button zooms out a set amount. The fourth button pans or moves the map at the current scale. The sixth button with the house is the home button. Clicking this button will restore the map to the original view or scale. Go ahead and try zooming in and out on the map.

The fifth button with the "i" on it is the identify button. This button will list the database entry for a particular feature. For example, in the legend select the perennial streams so it looks like a button. Then click the identify button and click on a perennial stream on the map. A box should come up listing information including the stream name. Click on different streams to obtain new information.

After the home button is the query button, with a a "Q" on it. A query looks in the database of a map layer and finds all features which satisfy certain criteria. For example, first select the perennial streams layer. Then click the Query button. Select the flow field with a double click and a criteria of all flows greater than 50. The streams with flows greater than 50 MGD will be highlighted in the GIS.

The next button is the table button. This will produce a table based on the database of a map layer. Try to make a table from the perennial streams layer.

The next two buttons, with a brush and a tag, are the clear and label buttons. The label button uses a database field to place text on the GIS map. The clear button clears these labels. Try to label the main roads. First, select the main roads layer in the legend. Then click the label button and select the name field. Finally, click on any road and a label will appear with the road's name. After you have all the labels you want, click the clear button to clear the labels.

The next button with two links is used with maps that have links to other web pages. None of the maps in InterWET use this feature.

The next button with the double arrow can be used to remove the legend or restore the legend.

The next button with the "X" is used with maps that have moving icons. None of the maps in InterWET use this feature.

The final button with the ? is the help button and describes the functioning of each button.

Interactive maps will be used throughout the conservationist perspective in InterWET.

The two tables below list the mean daily flows for Spring Creek and its tributaries.

Spring Creek Mean Flows

Spring Creek Tributaries

In the GIS, each of these locations is indicated with a dot. Use the identify button to determine where each of the flows from the two tables was measured. You will need to zoom in to separate the dots for Cedar Run and the Oak Hall location on Spring Creek.

Next, show the subwatersheds. Notice that Logan Branch drains a similar area to other tributaries like Buffalo Run or Slab Cabin Run, but has a higher flow. This is caused by groundwater flow and springs in the Logan Branch subwatershed, which will be discussed on the groundwater from a conservationist perspective page.

More Details?

About Spring Creek Watershed:
Spring Creek Corridor Study
Spring Creek Watershed Community 1996 International Countryside Stewardship Exchange
Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Site
Centre County Approved Trout Waters
Clearwater Conservancy

About this web page and InterWET:
Check out the on-line dissertation on InterWET for more information behind the theory and techniques used to make this web page.

 
 

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Questions or Problems? Let me know at parson@andassoc.com.
Last revision 9/9/01.
Created by Shane Parson, Copyright 1999.