A community map is a simple but powerful tool that helps residents understand what’s at risk from proposed industrial sites, pollution sources, or environmental hazards. By mapping homes, schools, waterways, and nearby mines, communities can visualize potential impacts and use that information for organizing, outreach, and public comments. You don’t need special software- just a notebook, online maps, and local knowledge.
1. Start With Your Center Point
Identify the facility, permit site, pollution source, or area of concern. Mark this as the center of your map. Then draw a 1-mile, 3-mile, and 5-mile radius around it (or measure distance on Google Maps or similar tools).
2. Identify Homes Within 1–5 Miles
Knowing who lives nearby is essential for outreach and documenting potential impacts.
Steps:
- Use Google Maps, county GIS tools, or a printed map to mark houses, farms, mobile home communities, and apartment buildings.
- Identify clusters of households and roads leading to them.
- Note especially homes within 1 mile, which often face the highest risks.
- If comfortable, talk with neighbors to confirm who lives where.
Tip: If privacy is a concern, you can map locations without labeling names.
3. Map Streams, Creeks, and Watersheds
Waterways carry pollution far beyond the immediate site.
What to include:
- Nearby streams, creeks, and drainage ditches
- Wetlands or flood-prone areas
- Larger rivers downstream
- The watershed boundary (you can find this using state agencies or EPA’s “How’s My Waterway” tool)
Why it matters:
If a pollutant enters a stream, it affects everyone downstream. This information is crucial for Clean Water Act comments.
4. Mark Private Wells and Springs
Communities that rely on groundwater are especially vulnerable.
Include:
- Residential wells (ask community members where wellheads are located)
- Springs or seeps
- Any known well contamination issues
- Public water intakes if nearby
Tip: Many counties have well data layers online; community knowledge fills in the gaps.
5. Identify Schools, Churches, and Vulnerable Populations
These are key locations for community health protections and public participation.
Map locations such as:
- Schools (K–12, preschools, Head Start)
- Churches
- Daycares
- Senior living facilities
- Community centers
- Neighborhoods with limited transportation
- Areas with lower-income or medically vulnerable residents
Why this matters:
These locations strengthen arguments about public health risks and environmental justice impacts.
6. Locate Existing or Abandoned Mines
Understanding mining history is critical in regions with legacy impacts.
What to look for:
- Active mines
- Abandoned mine lands (AML)
- Known mine drainage discharges
- Refuse piles or slurry ponds
- Underground mine maps if available
- Coal haul roads and blasting areas
Sources:
State mining agencies, OSMRE maps, county GIS, and local residents who know the area.
7. Add Other Key Features
Depending on your community, you might also include:
- Pipelines or compressor stations
- Landfills or waste sites
- Industrial facilities
- Flood zones
- Recreation areas (parks, fishing spots, camping areas)
- Tribal or historic cultural sites
8. Pull Everything Into One Map
Put all gathered information onto one map (digital or printed). Options include:
- Google MyMaps
- CalTopo
- QGIS (more advanced, free)
- Printed paper maps with colored markers
- County parcel or GIS tools
Use simple symbols such as:
- Blue for water
- Red for pollution sources or mines
- Yellow for schools/churches
- Black dots for homes
This doesn’t need to be perfect- clarity is what matters.
9. Use the Map for Organizing and Advocacy
Your community map becomes the foundation for:
- Door-to-door outreach
- Public meeting preparation
- Environmental justice analysis
- Impact statements for regulators
- Comment letters under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and SMCRA
- Grant applications and community health assessments
Once you’ve created your map, revisit and update it regularly. As the project moves forward or conditions change, the map grows into a living record of community knowledge and environmental risk.