Integrating GIS with GPS for Better Reservoir Rim Cultural and Natural Resource Management

Author: Greg W. Behrens
Organization: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Box 620
Grand Coulee, WA 99133
USA

Phone: 509.633.9522
Fax: 509.633.9566
gbehrens@pn.usbr.gov

Lake Roosevelt was formed with the construction of Grand Coulee Dam in the early 1940s. The reservoir rim encompasses 530 miles of meandering shoreline, 70 percent of which consists of easily eroded, unconsolidated sediments. Couple this shoreline with an annual fluctuation of 50-80 feet, and landslide activity becomes the norm. Using our GIS database, we are able to identify, in the office, those unstable areas that need to be investigated and then easily conduct on-site investigations, guided by our marine and land-based GPS equipment.