Copyright Agren, Inc. © 2008

Pond Builder:
An Advanced Conservation
Planning Tools
Tom Buman
Agren, Inc.
Copyright Agren, Inc. © 2008

Nine Step Planning Process
Step #5: Formulate Alternatives
• Landowners need timely/accurate options
• Conservationists need automated tools that
provide fast accurate alternatives.
Copyright Agren, Inc. © 2008

Nine Step Planning Process
Step #4: Analyze Resource Data
• Soil Maps
• Aerial Photography
• Elevation & Contour Maps
LiDAR
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LiDAR
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The Beginning
• Funding
• NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant in 2006
• IDNR providing required match
• Application jointly submitted by Agren & Iowa DNR
• Iowa DNR provide match funding
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Project Overview
• Deliverables: 3 Tools
• Ponds
• Water & Sediment Control Basin
• Runoff Curve Number
• Three year timeline
• Yr 1 – determine priority practices, define user requirements, and
develop flow sheets.
• Yr 2 – program development and testing
• Yr 3 – pilot & evaluate decision tools
• Program Availability
• Free to all conservationists working in Iowa
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Stakeholder Meeting
October 2006
• 16 Iowa participants (all potential end users)
• NRCS, SWCD, DSC, IDNR, NSTL
• Conservation planners
• Watershed specialists
• Soil conservation technicians
• GIS specialists
• Determine priority practices, develop user
requirements & set end user evaluation criteria
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End User Evaluation
• Accuracy of cost estimate
• Within 15% of the final design cost estimate
• Accuracy of plan/layout
• Never violate major design rules
• Time savings
• ≤ amount of time currently required
• Training requirements
• 1 to 2 hour training session/minimal
• Acceptance & use of tool
• High degree of use
• Overall customer satisfaction
• 95% of user find “increased value” in planning
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First page after opening the website.
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Use legal description or zoom in tool to pick area of interest.
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User zoomed into T-74-N, R-9-W, and section 23.
The contour, terrain, and ortho layers only display on area this size or smaller.
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Contour and Terrain layer turned on.
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Zoomed in view shows hill shade and 2 foot contours.
Light colored areas ridges and dark colored areas gullies.
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Draw Dam
Draw dam line longer than you think you need.
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Draw Watershed
If the watershed is incorrect then click on clear watershed button and redraw watershed.
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Draw Flow Line:
This line should represent the longest path from the edge of the watershed to the dam.
The clear flowline button will clear all flowlines.
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Cut Watershed:
This tool is used to cut the watershed into land cover types which will be used to determine the runoff
curve number.
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Cut Watershed:
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Assign Land Cover Description:
The land cover description will be used for calculating the runoff curve number.
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User can change default values as long as they meet minimum pond requirements.
The default erosion rate is 5 tons/acre/year.
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User changed Erosion rate.
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Table of Results
This table contains over 300 possible ponds.
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Table of Results
The cost values circled in red can be changed by the user, otherwise county values are used.
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Table of Results
The pond size column heading was clicked on and sorted from least to greatest.
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Table of Results
The pond size column heading was clicked on and re-sorted from greatest to least.
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Only Least-Expensive Ponds
By clicking on this the least expensive pond for each 0.5 ft increment is selected. (<45 choices)
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Sort by Pond Area
This sorted out all ponds that had a surface area between 4 and 7 acres. (< 90 choices)
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Only Least-Expensive Ponds
Clicking on least expensive pond box, the least expensive ponds between 4-7 surface acres are listed.
(10 choices)
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View Pond
The permanent pool is shaded blue and the temporary pool is shaded red.
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View Pond
The permanent pool is shaded blue and the temporary pool is shaded red.
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Report
The map will show up on the report as it looks in your browser right now.
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Report
Fill in the information and select the reports that will be included in the final report.
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Save Report
This report will be saved in a single PDF file to a local hard drive.
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Print Report
The printed copy will contain a Landowner report and Planner report.
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GIS Data Function
This function saves a ArcGIS layer and a personal geodatabase which can be downloaded into
ArcGIS and from there to AutoCAD.
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Save Session
This process saves the dam, watershed, flowline, and runoff curve information.
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Save Session
The program is saved to a local hard drive.
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Load Session
Load a previously saved session from local hard drive.
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Load Session
Load a previously saved session from local hard drive.
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Load Session
After file is loaded the user will have to click on the create pond button.
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Benefits
• Accuracy
• Program is about 85 to 90% accurate as
compared to final designs
• Cost, yardage, acre feet, etc.
• Time savings
• Cost estimate in 10 to 15 minutes
• Results can be saved and changed later
Copyright Agren, Inc. © 2008

Benefits
• Usability
• Choice from different pond sizes and costs
• Reports can be saved electronically
• Pond plan exported to AutoCAD program
• GIS data can be exported into a GPS unit for
staking planned centerline and water level.
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Testimonial
• State Technician/Mt. Ayr F.O.
• “Slick, fast, and simple”
• Since January 29th done 25 estimates
• Takes 5 to 6 minutes/pond
• Checked against Hydro-Yardage design
• Within 4 % on yardage
• Makes C/S estimates
• Admits staying away from computers
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Where To From Here?
• Practices & programs under development
• Water & Sediment Control Basins
• Runoff Curve Number
• Automated RUSLE2 program
• Future plans include:
• Wetlands
• Waterways
• Terraces
• Contour strip cropping/Contour buffer strips
• Contouring
• Buffer strips
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For more information, contact:
Tom Buman, President
tom@agreninc.com
712.792.6248© 2008
Copyright Agren, Inc.