Abstract Submission: In this study, we developed a watershed evaluation for a 2.5 square mile area located in the Florida panhandle within Santa Rosa County using the best available information to efficiently utilize time and resources. Relevant watershed data from various sources were reviewed and assembled including aerial imagery, FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps, land use data, soil data, historical rainfall data, LiDAR data, and construction plans, as-builts, and permit information. A stormwater inventory geodatabase was compiled and relevant stormwater infrastructure was digitized based on existing information. A two-day field reconnaissance was performed to inspect overflow structure locations and major culverts, confirm drainage infrastructure, and observe existing drainage patterns. Using CatchmentSIM, a DEM was created by importing existing LiDAR data and running an interpolation algorithm and a filling and breaching algorithm. Catchment delineation tools were used to delineate the initial subcatchments. Subcatchments were then refined based upon significant drainage features and discharge locations to result in the model subbasins, model nodes were placed in the lowest point of the subbasin or at signification junction points, and structural model links were developed from the stormwater inventory. Overland flow weirs were generated for each subbasin boundary using in-house tools to identify the lowest elevation along the basin boundary. In house tools were also developed to produce time of concentration calculations. The efficient work flow, which relied on desktop analysis and was supported with ground-truthing, resulted in a reasonable watershed evaluation that set the foundation for parameterization of hydrologic and hydraulic model inputs.
