Natural Environment Assessment Presentation

Miami Valley Land Suitability Assessment – Natural Environment Factors 2007 MVRPC Board of Directors December 6, 2007

Study Overview
To assess Region’s landscape from a natural environment perspective as part of “Going Places: An Integrated Land Use Vision for the Miami Valley Region”
Provide a comprehensive overview of sensitive natural areas in the Region - Examine the presence and conditions of sensitive natural areas
Identify locations within the Region that are better suited for physical development than others
Study Boundary - 8 County Region

Land Suitability Assessment
Land Suitability Assessment (LSA) is a process for evaluating the suitability of land for development
Identify locations within the planning area that are best suited to particular types of land use based on land characteristics
MVRPC LSA Natural Environment Factors study
Focused on natural environmental factors
Compiled various natural resource data into one regional dataset and conducted technical analyses
Developed a land suitability scoring system
Developed a systematic approach of aggregating each suitability score into a total suitability score
Developed a Natural Environment Factors Composite Map

Natural Environment Factors
The study identified 15 natural environment factors covering 3 dimensions of:
Resources
Forested Areas
Ground Water Pollution Potential
Ground Water Yield
Mineral Resources
Prime Farmland
Sole Source Aquifer
Well Field Protection Areas
Wetlands
Hazards
Floodplain
Inundation Areas
Physical Impediments
Depth to Bedrock
Load Bearing Strength
Slope
Soil Drainage
Surface Water

Definition Importance Data Development Process Data Sources Data Findings

Prime Farmland Regional Land by Prime Farmland Classification

Sole Source Aquifer Regional Land by SSA Classification

Natural Environment Suitability Measure Development Conceptually, the Natural Environment Suitability Measure was generated by overlaying spatial data representing the Suitability Scores of all 15 factors.

Land Suitability Score System 2 1 Not Suitable High Potential 6 3 Somewhat Suitable Medium Potential 10 2 5 Suitable Low Potential Ground Water Pollution Potential 2 1 Not Suitable Forested 10 2 5 Suitable Non-Forested Forested Areas 4 1 Not Suitable 100 Year 8 2 Somewhat Suitable 500 Year 20 4 5 Suitable Outside Floodplain Floodplain 0 0 NA Not Rated 2 1 Not Suitable Shallow Depth 10 2 5 Suitable Adequate Depth Depth to Bedrock Suitability Score Weight Factor Attribute Score Suitability Measures Data Attributes Environment Factors

Natural Environment Suitability Measure
Land with high development potential is characterized as:
Having soils that are well drained, adequate depth to bedrock, adequate load bearing strength, and no mineral resources
Having high ground water yields
Having flat or gently rolling slopes
Outside floodplains, inundation areas, surface waters, sole source aquifers, wetlands, and well field protection areas
Outside forested areas and prime farmland

Natural Environment Suitability Measure Regional Land by Development Potential Classification

Comparative Analysis

Summary
The land in the Region is
Mostly flat, dry land with adequate dept to bedrock and load bearing strength
Non-forested land with mineral resources not likely to present
With medium ground water pollution potential
Not within floodplain or inundation areas
Significant amount of prime farmland with relatively good soil drainage and ground water yield capacity
Containing quality sole source aquifer with portion of the Region designated as well-filed protection areas
Over 80% of regional land us highly or moderately suited to accommodate future land development

Conclusion
An assessment of the built environment must be completed in order to have a complete understanding of the Region’s physical landscape
The entire Region will benefit if development is planned and executed in a manner that takes advantage of our natural resources without threatening their quality
Land use planning at the local level should take into consideration the potential effects of development on natural environment resources so that the balance between the need to grow and the need to preserve environmental quality is achieved

GIS Data Sharing Map Tools Map Layers Map

Study Report
Report available at www.mvrpc.org/rlu

For More Information
Contact Bethany Heim, GIS Specialist/Planner, at bheim@mvrpc.org

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Natural Environment Assessment Presentation

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