New GIS database project completed for GDPUD

A project to develop a new Geographical Information System database and update of the district’s facility maps was completed with the results presented by Assistant Operations Manager Kelly Shively at the Tuesday board meeting of the Georgetown Divide Public Utility District.

To collect the information, the district rented Global Positioning Satellite handheld units to identify the field coordinates of existing water and irrigation service locations. The meter box and service locations were also added to the GIS database and the district system maps.

Shively said the new system shows everything that’s part of the water system including the location of meters, valves, facilities, irrigation and water system lines, leach fields, manhole covers, hydrants, diversion structures, tanks, water improvement districts, pressure zones and the service area boundary.

The maps they can generate off the data show, among other things, where each person’s meter is located to make it easier to troubleshoot problems. They also have the capacity to pull in maps from other systems and overlay them on the district database. For example, they can pull in county parcel maps. By clicking on the map, the database pulls up the parcel number, owner’s name, parcel size, school and fire district, and other information the county assessor has on the property.

The database has also been used to generate updated district maps for the Water Distribution System, Irrigation System, and the Wastewater Zone for Auburn Lake Trails.

Shively said the system is set up on the district’s server so workers have access to the information on their computers and workers with clearance can access the information from home or on their cell phones.

The project, which was authorized a year ago by the board, was completed by a company called GeoIT Resources with assistance from district staff.  Shively said it cost approximately $70,000 with part of the cost paid for by the district and the rest paid for by a grant from the El Dorado County Water Agency.

“It’s money well spent,” said Shively. “It’s a powerful tool that will help with inventory.”

Contact Dawn Hodson at 530-344-5071 or dhodson@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @DHodsonMtDemo on Twitter.