The Story of The Kennebunk River: Communicating a Changing Climate

Energy Navigator Fellow Ava Moseley reflects on her early work supporting spatial data visualization for the Kennebunk River Hydrology Study at SMPDC, helping translate technical environmental data into tools that inform climate resilience and community planning. 

In honor of this year’s River Month, I want to talk about The Kennebunk River Hydrology Study, a project I had the opportunity to support at the start of my service term with The Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC). The study area centers around The Kennebunk River, which flows between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, connecting the two communities.  

In January of 2024, a series of major coastal storms caused inundation across Maine, including around the Kennebunk River. Floodwaters damaged homes and businesses along and near the waterfront, resulting in nearly $3 million in public infrastructure damage. The Kennebunk River Study directly responds to the vulnerable areas impacted by this flooding. 

Flooding from the January 2024 storms

The study assesses the river system by analyzing water quality, real-time water levels, and future flood risks. This was a collaborative effort between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, SMPDC, FB Environmental, Hohonu, and GEI Consultants, who worked together to deliver in-depth findings on each of these focus areas.  

My role was problem-solving how to best communicate this joint effort to the public. Most of my work involved developing a website featuring interactive web maps visualizing the information included in the reports on future flood risk and water quality. The main challenge was translating dense tables into map-based formats so that users could more easily explore temporal and spatial patterns in the data. 

Future Flood Risk Data Explorer

Water Quality Data Explorer

Looking back on this project, I’m reminded of how much artistic presentation matters when communicating information. Map design, symbology, and visual hierarchy are all tools that help shape the story of your data. For instance, using Arcade Expressions to customize the data tables and using conditional formatting to highlight critical data in red allowed me to help the viewer understand the most important aspects of the story.  

Another key part of the website was figuring out how to highlight a major result of the study. In the future flood risk modeling, when comparing all scenarios, one result stood out: projected sea level rise by 2100 alone produces flooding conditions comparable to those observed during the January 2024 storms. I created a map that allows someone to visually ‘swipe’ between these two different scenarios, highlighting this big takeaway from the study.  

Overall, working on the website for The Kennebunk Hydrology River Study allowed me the opportunity to think creatively about how to communicate complex information through visualization. By telling stories through data, the community can better understand what’s happening and more effectively prepare for and care for the future of the river and Maine’s natural environment.  

For more information on the Kennebunk River Hydrology Study, visit: https://smpdc.org/kennebunkriver. Check back soon to see the website live! 

About Ava

Ava Moseley grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and from a young age, has had a love for the outdoors and for expressing herself through art. She recently graduated from Middlebury College with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies. Through her coursework and assisted research, she developed a strong foundational understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment, along with specialized skills in geographic information systems. Ava also minored in Spanish and spent an immersive semester studying in Valdivia, Chile. She is interested in sustainable planning and the development of neighborhoods and cities, and is excited to be working with SMPDC.