Soils and Land Use

Land Use Properties of Soils and Soil Quality Soil Surveys and Interpretive Soils Mapping Land Application of Wastes Soil Erosion, Assessment, and Mitigation Urban Soils Agricultural Lands and Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) Urban Agriculture and Food Systems Planning

Land Use Properties of Soils

Wetland Soils Hydric conditions

Soil Stability: Unified Soil Classification System

Soil Drainability

Soil Erodibility: 4 types of water erosion

Soil Productivity and Resource Value: USDA Agricultural Land Capability Classification

USDA Textural Classification of Soils

The Modern Soil Survey

Step 2: List soils and their rating or limitation from soil survey tables

Step 3: Make table sorting soils by category: Limitations for Dwellings with Basements

Dwellings with basements

Web Soil Survey

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm

Soil Data Mart: http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/

Soils and On-site Wastewater and Land Application of Wastes

On-site septic systems Sanitary landfills Sewage sludge biosolids Animal manures and nutrient management

On-site Wastewater Systems

An aside: Sewers and Septic in Blacksburg

Existing Public Sanitary Sewer Service Areas

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So then what?

Conceptual Development of the Tom's Creek Basin at Full Buildout

Toms Creek area will develop in clusters with open space Is conventional septic a good idea? No, but there are alternatives: Septic tank effluent pump/gravity systems (STEP/STEG)
Proposed Houses Open Space Natural Hydrology

Village at Toms Creek STEP/STEG System

Soil Erosion: Some success

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)

Erodibility Factors in Soil Survey

Erodibility Index and HEL

Erodibility Index (EI) = K x R x LS T
Where: T = Erosion Tolerance (usually 3-5 tons/acre) (values are given in Soil Survey) Highly Erodible Lands (HEL) have EI>8

RUSLE2 Software:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=6038

Chose a location to set climate: from the pop-down menu which reveals states then general area with in the state. Pick the nearest location to your site and it will set the r value. Choose the soil type: this is done by textural class and high-mediumlow organic matter and permeability, all of which can be gleaned from the soil survey for the site. Set slope topography: length and steepness are simply entered. Select and modify management: this sets the c value by selecting from an extensive pop-down menu of values specific to land use, cover, and management. Set supporting practices: this sets the p value from pop-down choices under contouring, strips/barriers and diversion/sediment basin.

Erosion & Sedimentation Control Practices

Urban Soil Problems

Soil Compaction: increased bulk density caused by any weight on land surface, such as construction equipment, vehicles, and pedestrians. Compacted soil inhibits drainage, aeration, and root growth, and behaves like impervious surfaces. Impervious Surfaces like roads and parking lots interrupt exchange of gases, alter drainage, and increase soil temperature. Moving Soils through grading and clearing eliminates topsoil, increases erosion, and affects drainage and aeration. Soil Contamination: chemical spills, waste dumping, excessive fertilizer/pesticide use, and runoff pollution contaminate soils. Use of Fill Dirt affects drainage, aeration, and compaction.

Erosion and Sediment Control Planning

Design Phase Evaluate the site: topography, drainage, vegetation, soils, rainfall patterns. Divide the site into the natural drainage areas Plan the development to fit the site. Determine limits of clearing and grading. Divide the project into smaller phases. Divert water from disturbed areas, minimize length and steepness of slopes, avoid soil compaction Select temporary and permanent erosion and sediment control practices:

Soil stabilization (soil cover: vegetative and non-vegetative covers) Sediment control (sediment filters, basins) Runoff control (diversion, check dams)

Construction Phase Temporary structure practices

Erosion control blankets, Straw bale dike, Silt fence, Temporary swale

Operation Phase Maintain installed E&S practices

E&SC Example
1. Grassed diversion swale 2. Cut made for the building is stabilized 3. Clearing done only where necessary 4. Pond is constructed on the lower terrace 5. Bridge is built over No Name Brook 6. Grassed diversion swale above cut for the access road 7. Access road entrance is stabilized 8. Filter fence is constructed along the access road and parallel to Pine Creek

Agricultural Land Conversion

Tools to Protect The Working Landscape

Agricultural Zoning

Exclusive Non-exclusive

Cluster/Conservation Zoning Conservation Easements/ Purchase of Development Rights Transfer of Development Sites Agricultural Districting Differential Use-Value Taxation

Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA)

Land Evaluation (LE): rates soil capability for agriculture; groups soils into 10 categories rated 0-100 points
Site Assessment (SA): rates sites non-soil factors affecting suitability for agriculture; sum-of-weighted-factors totals 0-200 points

LESA = LE + SA = 0-300 points

LESA WS #2: Land Evaluation Groups & Relative LE Values

Indicator Crop Yields from Soil Survey Table

Site Assessment Factors, Scoring, Weights, Adjusted Weights

Uses of LESA

Evaluating rezoning requests for lands zoned for agriculture Impact assessment Prioritizing or qualifying sites for land conservation programs, e.g., Agricultural Districts, PDR, TDR, Conservation Easements

Critique of LESA

Pros

Considers soil and non-soil factors Flexible so communities can use own factors Sum-of-weighted-factors judgments made by local committee Relative value of soil factors (1/3) questioned Flexibility can lead to misuse County-specific factors/weights make it difficult to compare values between counties

Cons

Urban Agriculture and Food System Planning

Food has become an important part of sustainable community planning:

Access to local food, organic food, groceries 18,000 community gardens in the U.S. 6,132 farmers markets up 16% since 2009 Composting gives back to the soil

About 15% of worlds food is grown in urban areas

Community Food System

Troy Gardens, Madison, WI

31 acre site: 5-acre affordable housing development 300 community garden plots 5-acre community supported agriculture (CSA) farm Prairie preserve and hiking trails

Community Gardens