USGS Selects Woolpert to Provide Elevation-Derived Hydrography for State of Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 10, 2025) — The U.S. Geological Survey has selected Woolpert to process and delineate elevation-derived hydrography for the state of Tennessee in support of the 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP).

3DHP is the first systematic remapping of U.S. hydrography since the original USGS 1:24,000-scale topographic mapping program was active, which included the National Hydrography Dataset. Maps were produced by USGS at that scale as early as 1904, with revisions made until 2006. 3DHP uses updated, high-accuracy elevation data collected as part of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).

Under the task order, Woolpert will process 9,500 square miles of previously collected Quality levels 1 and 2 lidar data, including 23,000 stream miles, to produce new, highly detailed EDH data for the state. Woolpert acquired the original lidar data under multiple USGS contracts between 2015-2022.

“The State of Tennessee is very excited to continue our ongoing partnership with the USGS and Woolpert on the 3D Hydrography Program,” State of Tennessee GIS Services Director Dennis Pederson said. “We have a five-year plan to complete the entire state and appreciate the contributions of all our funding partners at the federal, state, and local levels.  This statewide coordination is the cornerstone of the Tennessee Base Mapping Program which provides the GIS community with access to this critical GIS dataset at reduced cost.”

Woolpert Senior Vice President Jeff Lovin said that the new 3DHP data will support the work of a variety of state agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“The 3D Hydrography Program significantly improves the level of detail, currency, and content of hydrography data for engineers, natural resource managers, and a variety of other state agencies,” Lovin said. “Once complete, this new data will assist with everything from analyzing surface water and flow patterns to supporting hydrologic and hydraulic modeling—all critical tools for improving Tennessee’s flood-risk management and infrastructure planning efforts.”

The data is expected to be delivered by the end of 2025. This contract is underway.