2026 WA GIS Conference

This presentation will describe how GIS is used as a decision support tool providing critical and timely information to citizens and first responders in the flood-prone Chehalis River Basin as well as to communicate the value of continued investment in early flood warning to stakeholders. To highlight the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority (CRBFA) team’s National Hydrologic Warning Council (NHWC) Operational Excellence Award-winning flood warning system, Ms. Harvey and her team, in coordination with Scott Boettcher of SBGH-Partners LLC, developed and actively maintains a Flood Warning System Gage Alert Program ArcGIS Data Dashboard and a Flood Warning Email Alerts Sign-up smart form with ArcGIS Survey123. Used as informational and interactive tools for the 175,000+ residents of the Chehalis River Basin, the Flood Warning System Dashboard has promoted accountability, showcased results, and monitored progress during the 2022–26 flood seasons. At the same time, the Survey123 Email Alert System Sign-up page has become the first line of defense by providing Chehalis River Basin residents with a practical smart form that allows users to easily select gage alerts of interest and sign up online. Additionally, the Dashboard allows users to connect to the Chehalis River Basin Flood Warning System website, which provides a variety of forecasting tools including flood inundation maps.