3 Layer Guide
This guide serves to provide greater detail about each layer included in the Tribal Water Data Map.
3.1 Tribal Land Layers
3.1.1 Indigenous Territories
Layer displaying historic Indigenous Territories within California.
Source: native-land.ca
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: Native Land Digital
Native Land Digital strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources such as our map and Territory Acknowledgement Guide. We strive to go beyond old ways of talking about Indigenous people and to develop a platform where Indigenous communities can represent themselves and their histories on their own terms. In doing so, Native Land Digital creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together.
3.1.2 Tribal Census Tract 2021
Layer showing Tribal areas identified by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Data Update Frequency: Every 10 years
Contact: U.S Census Bureau
3.1.3 Indian Lands and Native Entities
Layer showing American Indians Reservations/Federally Recognized Tribal Entities.
Source: California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: Cal OES
The American Indians Reservations/Federally Recognized Tribal Entities dataset depicts feature location, selected demographics and other associated data for the 561 Federally Recognized Tribal entities in the contiguous U.S. and Alaska. Categories included are: American Indian Reservations (AIR), Federally Recognized Tribal Entities (FRTE) and Alaska Native Villages (ANV).
3.2 CA Water Boards Layers
3.2.1 Regional Water Board Boundaries
Layer showing the boundaries of the nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards in California.
Source: California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.2.2 Regulated Wastewater Treatment & Discharge Facilities
Layer showing NPDES and WDR facilities regulated by State Water Board programs, as reflected in the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS) project.
These facilities mandatorily hold active permits to discharge into or alter the surface or ground water. More information about these permits can be found in the CIWQS database.
Source: California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS)
Data Update Frequency: Nightly
3.3 Environmental Data Layers
3.3.1 State Water Bodies (rivers, streams, and beaches)
This layer shows linear waterbodies in California, such as rivers, streams, and beaches, which were assessed for 305(b) in the 2020-2022 California Integrated Report. Light green waterbodies are listed in Category 1, 2, or 3. Dark green waterbodies represent those placed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Note, these are not the final assessments.
Source: California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
Data Update Frequency: Every two years
3.3.2 State Water Bodies (bays, lakes and reservoirs)
This layer shows non-linear (polygon) waterbodies in California, such as bays, lakes, and reservoirs, which were assessed for 305(b) in the 2020-2022 California Integrated Report. Light green waterbodies are listed in Category 1, 2, or 3. Dark green waterbodies represent those placed on the 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Note, these are not the final assessments.
Source: California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)
Data Update Frequency: Every 2 years
3.3.3 CalEnviroScreen 4.0
This layer shows the CalEnviroScreen (CES) 4.0 based on the CES Score percentile.
CalEnviroScreen is a screening methodology that can be used to help identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution.
Source: California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: CalEnviroScreen
3.3.4 Aquifer Water Quality Risk
This layer shows estimated water quality risk for domestic wells and state small water systems for a variety of contaminants.
This layer was developed for use by the State Water Boards SAFER Program to help prioritize areas where domestic wells and state small water systems may be accessing groundwater that does not meet primary drinking water standards.
Source: Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: SAFER Program
3.3.5 Drought Intensity
This layer shows regions in California impacted by drought.
Drought severity is determined by precipitation deviation, stream flow, soil moisture content, subjective observation, and reported impact.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Data Update Frequency: Weekly, on Thursdays
3.4 Environmental Justice Layers
3.4.1 Superfund Sites
This layer shows Superfund Site locations and data on the inventory of active and archived hazardous waste sites evaluated by the EPA’s Superfund program.
This data provides location and attribute information on Facilities regulated under the Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS). It contains sites that are either proposed to be, or are on, the National Priorities List (NPL) as well as sites that are in the screening and assessment phase for possible inclusion on the NPL.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.4.2 NPL Superfund Site Boundaries
This layer shows entire Superfund Site boundaries.
U.S. EPA Superfund Site boundaries are polygons representing the footprint of a whole site, defined for purposes of this effort as the sum of all of the Operable Units and the current understanding of the full extent of contamination.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.4.3 Agricultural Pesticides
This indicator represents the reported use of 132 hazardous and volatile pesticides in 2017-2019. Only pesticides used on agricultural commodities are included in the indicator. The data is averaged over the census tract area, and some application may be adjacent to (instead of within) the census tract.
Source: California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: CalEnviroScreen
3.4.4 Disadvantaged Communities
This map shows the disadvantaged communities designated by CalEPA for the purpose of SB 535. These areas represent the 25% highest scoring census tracts in CalEnviroScreen 4.0, census tracts previously identified in the top 25% in CalEnviroScreen 3.0, census tracts with high amounts of pollution and low populations, and federally recognized tribal areasas identified by the Census in the 2021 American Indian Areas Related National Geodatabase.
Source: California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
Contact: CalEnviroScreen
3.4.5 Household Plumbing Adequacy
This layer shows the ratio of households that do not have access to adequate plumbing.
This statistic is what determines a household as “livable” according to source California Healthy Places Index (HPI).
Source: California Healthy Places Index (HPI)
Data Update Frequency: Dependent on HPI’s component indicators, typically annually
3.5 Other Government Layers
3.5.1 Non-private Land Holders
This layer shows boundaries for non-private land holders in California.
Source: California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.2 Groundwater Basins
This layer shows the boundaries of 515 groundwater basins and subbasins as defined by the California Department of Water Resources.
Source: California Department of Water Resources
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.3 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies
This layer shows the boundaries of California’s Groundwater Sustainability Agencies as defined on the DWR SGMA Data Viewer.
Source: California Department of Water Resources, for use by Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.4 Oil and Gas Wells
This layer shows oil and gas well locations (and their associated records) across California.
Source: WellFinder, published by the California Department of Conservation and Geologic Energy Management Division
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.5 Mines
This layer shows all mines in California.
This data is published with the intent to aid mine reclamation and is gathered via annual reports under Public Resources Code section 2207.
Source: California Department of Conservation Division of Mine Reclamation
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.6 County Boundaries
This layer shows County boundaries within California.
In this dataset, all bays (plus bay islands and constructed features) are merged into the mainland, and coastal features (such as islands and constructed features) are not included, with the exception of the Channel Islands which ARE included.
Source: California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE)
Data Update Frequency: As needed
3.5.7 State Park Boundaries
This layer shows the State Parks in California.
Source: California Dept. of Pesticides Regulation (DPR)
Data Update Frequency: As needed