The CalWEP LAM Viewer is an online tool developed by the California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP) in collaboration with Eagle Aerial. It consolidates CII LAM data with the residential LAM data previously provided by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), giving urban water suppliers a more comprehensive view of the total irrigated landscape within their service areas. This tool benefits suppliers by enabling them to analyze and manage landscape data across both residential and CII sectors. It allows users to make notes, provide feedback, and better understand the irrigated areas tied to large-scale water use. By offering a centralized platform, the Viewer simplifies access to critical data, reduces administrative burdens, and supports suppliers in preparing for compliance with water efficiency regulations, such as the CII-DIM Water Use Standard. This broader landscape perspective helps suppliers identify opportunities for conservation and improve water management practices.

To access the CalWEP Viewer and begin using it: 

This coordinated approach ensures that your agency has seamless access to the Viewer and the resources needed to effectively manage and analyze the data. 

Each supplier can have up to two users create accounts in the CalWEP LAM Viewer. This limitation ensures fair access to the tool while maintaining efficient support and management of user accounts. Agencies are encouraged to select users who are directly involved in managing and analyzing landscape data to maximize the Viewer’s effectiveness. 

No, there is no cost for accessing the CalWEP LAM Viewer, whether you are a CalWEP member or a non-member. Both members and non-members can use the tool to access and analyze their data, although non-members have limited access for three months after their data becomes available. 

While DWR will email suppliers with the CII-LAM-LUCD geospatial data and reports when final, DWR doesn’t own a license and is unable to provide suppliers with direct access to share the 2020 Hexagon imagery used to create the CII-LAM-LUCD dataset. It’s critical that the imagery used to create the data is available to suppliers when reviewing the data to confirm the data accuracy and more easily identify CII landscapes that may be subject to the regulations. The data in the Viewer is the same data provided by DWR enabling suppliers to access, review, and utilize their data efficiently.  

The CalWEP Viewer tool is a voluntary effort by CalWEP and Eagle Aerial, without sponsorship from DWR, to provide additional support and resources to water suppliers, helping them prepare for compliance with water use efficiency regulations.  

DISCLAIMER: DWR does not endorse or recommend any consulting agency that offers suppliers assistance with GIS data. However, DWR appreciates CalWEP’s help with providing imagery to suppliers.

Even though it wasn’t regulatorily required, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), along with NV5, developed the conditional Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial landscape area measurement and land use classification dataset (CII-LAM-LUCD), to help urban retail water suppliers in complying with Water Code: 

 A) Conditionally classifying irrigated CII landscapes. These irrigated CII landscapes may or may not be on a dedicated irrigation meter or be associated with a CII large landscape irrigated by a mixed-use meter (Water Code Section 969(a) and Section 973); 

 B) Providing a dataset of residential extensions for suppliers to confirm. These are irrigated landscapes outside of a property line that may be irrigated by a residential customer.  After confirming the extensions are irrigated by a residential customer, suppliers can request the State Water Board to include confirmed residential extensions in their Residential LAM estimates (Water Code Section 968(a)). 

C) Getting started on identifying CII nonfunctional turf that may be irrigated with potable water (Water Code Section 10608.14).

DWR is providing the CII-LAM-LUCD data as a starting point for urban water suppliers to evaluate CII outdoor water use efficiency, identifying opportunities for conservation, and supporting compliance with the State Water Board Conservation as a California Way of Life regulations. 

The CII-LAM-LUCD data complements the Residential-LAM data (provided by DWR in 2021, except for recently new suppliers) and uses the same urban retail water supplier boundary for both deliverables.   

Supplier specific deliverables: 

1. Geospatial datasets (GIS) in two formats; both formats have identical data:
   • Shapefiles, and
   • Geodatabase (*.gdb) containing data as feature classes.

2. Reports (*.pdf):
   • CII-LUCD / Residential Parkways Irrigated Vegetation Analysis Report: summary report describing methods, source data, results, and validation.
   • ReadME file: description of attribute values provided in the GIS datasets.
   • CII-LAM information sheet: users guide for people new to or unfamiliar working with LUCD or LAM GIS datasets.

The CII-LUCD data should be reviewed with the 2020 Hexagon imagery and is available through the CalWEP Viewer.

Residential extensions should be reviewed with the 2018 Hexagon imagery; this imagery was provided upon request with the Residential LAM deliverable. If 2018 Hexagon imagery is needed, please contact Scott Hayes at [email protected]. 

The CII-LAM-LUCD dataset is a snapshot in time and the estimates of irrigated CII landscape provided in the dataset may or may not reflect current conditions. It’s expected that the data being provided will be worked with by suppliers. 

If there are issues with accessing the 2020 Hexagon Imagery or the CII-LAM-LUCD data through the CalWEP Viewer please contact CalWEP at: [email protected]

If corrections or edits to the provided dataset are necessary, those initial edits do not need to be coordinated with DWR. When a supplier has completed making changes to the CII-LAM-LUCD data, DWR requests that suppliers provide the final CII-LAM-LUCD dataset along with the supplier’s edits so that DWR to maintain a current dataset.  

Should additional assistance be needed, please contact DWR at [email protected] for general questions and [email protected] for CII-LAM-LUCD data questions.  

Updating the data is not a requirement, but DWR respectfully requests that urban water suppliers provide any updates to improve the accuracy of the data. Suppliers are encouraged to submit updates within six months of gaining access to the data. This process, known as ground-truthing, helps ensure the data reflects current conditions. To submit updates, suppliers should contact the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) branch of DWR with the revised information. This collaborative effort supports data accuracy and enhances its usefulness for long-term water management.