LAND USE INFORMATION FOR WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
August 1976
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
SUBJECT:
FROM:
TO:
Land Use Information for Water Quality DATE:
Management
Mark A. Pisai
Director, WatsK* Planning Division (WH-554)
All Regional Water Division Directors
ATTN: Regional 208 Coordinators
TECHNICAL GUIDANCE MEMORANDUM: TECH-13
Purpose
This memorandum transmits the recently completed report, "Land Use
Information for Water Quality Management Planning." It is intended
for use by State and areawide agencies in the development of their
water quality management programs.
Guidance
This report tells water quality management planners what kinds of
land use information are likely to be available and useful to them
in their work at identifying impact of land use activities on water
quality and at seeking planning and management strategies to solve
water quality problems. It is organized around the sources and types
of information available and points up the first steps in data collec-
tion: people to see, maps and reports to get, things to look for.
It is not a manual on methods and techniques for analyzing the relation-
ship between water quality and land use. A great deal of work already
has been done in that area and is continuing to be produced. This is
designed to complement that work.
If you would like further information on the report, please contact
Bill Lienesch of the Program Development Branch (426-2522).
Enclosure
State and areawide agencies
EPA Form 1320-6 (Rev. 6-72)
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NOTE
This document is not a replacement to the Act, the Regulations, or
Official EPA Policy Statements. It is a supplement to these documents.
The guidance in this handbook does not constitute a uniform National EPA
standard of acceptability. Any clarification and specific conditions
applicable to a state or areawide agency should be discussed with the
EPA Regional Offices.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ii
INTRODUCTION iii
PART I. THREE PRINCIPLES FOR USING LAND USE INFORMATION IN WATER
QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING 1
1. Focus on Possible Solutions from the Beginning 1
2. Talk to the Experts 3
3. Know Your Land Use and Water Quality Models 4
PART II. LAND USE INFORMATION FOR WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT
PLANNING 6
1. Soil Surveys 7
2. Aerial Photography 8
3. U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Maps 10
4. U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Maps 11
5. General, Comprehensive, or Policy Plans 12
6. Zoning Ordinances and Subdivision Regulations 12
7. Floodplain Regulations 14
8. Plat Books and Assessors' Rolls 15
9. Transportation Studies 16
10. Health and Sanitation Records 16
11. Capital Improvement Programs 17
12. U.S. Geological Survey Geology Maps 18
13. Special Local Commissions, Boards, and Districts 18
14. Resource People 19
APPENDICES
A. INTERIM OUTPUTS FOR LAND USE INFORMATION 21
B. U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE STATE
CONSERVATIONISTS 22
C. APPROXIMATE AIRPHOTO SCALE RANGES USEFUL FOR PLANNING AND
PLANNING-RELATED STUDIES 23
D. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REGIONAL PUBLIC INQUIRIES OFFICES .... 27
E. U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WATER RESOURCES DIVISION 28
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BREFACE
This handbook is one of a series designed to provide State and area-
wide agencies with assistance in carrying out water quality planning and im-
plementation. Designation, Grant Application and Work Plan, Cost Analysis,
interim Outputs, Management Agencies, State Continuing Planning Process and
Public Participation handbooks have already been published. This handbook
serves as a supplement to 40 CFR, Parts 130 and 131. It also expands the
Draft Guidelines for State and Areawide Water Quality Management Program
Development (February, 1976) and the land use information contained in the
Interim Output Evaluation Handbook.
This handbook tells water quality management planners what kinds of
land use information are likely to be available and useful to them in their
work at identifying impact of land use activities on water quality and at
seeking planning and management strategies to solve water quality problems.
It is organized around the sources and types of information available and
points up the first steps in data collection: people to see, maps and reports
to get, things to look for. It is not a manual on methods and techniques for
analyzing the relationship between water quality and land use. A great deal
of work already has been done in that area and is continuing to be produced,
much of it under EPA sponsorship. This is designed to complement that work.
Other EPA reference documents and previously published handbooks deal-
ing in part with land use information in the Water Quality Management process
include:
• 40 CFR, Part 130, Policies and Procedures for the State Continuing
Planning Process
• 40 CFR, Part 131, Preparation of Water Quality Management Plans
• Draft Guidelines for State and Areawide Water Quality Management
Program Development (February, 1976)
• Interim Output Evaluation Handbook for Section 208 Areawide Waste
Treatment Management Planning (June, 1975)
This handbook was prepared under Contract No. 68-01-1969 by the
American Society of Planning Officials. William Toner was Project Director.
Antoinette McAllister and George C. Turnbull, Jr. were other research staff
members. Michael J. Meshenberg was Project Supervisor. For EPA, James Lund
and the Program Development Branch provided direction and support.
Mark A. Pisano
Director, Water Planning Division
Washington, D.C.
ii
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INTRODUCTION
Water pollution experts are more aware than ever of one thing: control-
ling land use may be an effective strategy in reducing the impact of many non-
point pollution problems and in providing an alternative to constructing ex-
pensive sewers and treatment plants. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act
of 1972, emphasizing prevention of pollution at its source as well as treat-
ment, declared as national policy an attack on water pollution. In Section
208 of that Act, land use is seen as a major element in the water quality
management strategy.
Land use techniques for reducing water pollution include zoning, subdi-
vision regulations, floodplain controls, public facility development to in-
duce development into more compact areas, controls on agriculture and silvi-
culture, urban stormwater controls, and sediment controls. Reduction in sedi-
ment and urban runoff by themselves would have an enormous impact on the puri-
ty of our rivers and lakes.
The growing body of literature that discusses the relationship between
land use and water quality is readily available and is not duplicated here.
Rather, this listing identifies sources of information that may provide WQM
agencies with specific data on local land use conditions. Such information is
needed to assess the impact of existing and proposed local land uses and to
develop regulatory and management approaches to pollution control that can be
implemented locally. Included here are the sources for information, where to
find it, its form of presentation, and some key elements of the information
to consider.
This resource list focuses on the early stages of a 208 agency work
program. It supplements and expands upon Interim Output Evaluation Handbook
for Section 208 Areawide Waste Treatment Management Planning, U.S. EPA, Wash-
ington, D.C., June 1975 and is responsive to Draft Guidelines for State and
Areawide Water Quality Management Program Development, U.S. EPA, Washington,
D.C., February 1976.
111
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PART I
THREE PRINCIPLES FOR USING LAND USE INFORMATION
IN WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING
This list of sources should be of great help to agencies in collecting
information about their regions' land use so that they can come up with effec-
tive and sensible solutions to water quality management problems. Not every
source needs to be consulted. Three principles should guide the collection
and use of land use data by 208 agencies.
1. Focus on Possible Solutions from the Beginning
The 208 program is intended to be the first comprehensive, coordinated,
wide-ranging effort to attack water quality problems at the regional level.
Most of the regions have a limited period of time, but often considerable
sums of money, to study the problems and come up with workable solutions.
The issues, however, are large and complicated. Agencies that are lulled into
thinking that plenty of time and money must be spent to define the problems
and then to collect vast amounts of data to back up their solutions, might
find there is little of either left to prepare good plans and develop the
essential backing of those people, mainly local government officials, who
will implement them.
To avoid getting trapped in overwhelming data and the need to support
every conclusion and proposal with enormous detail, agencies need to be selec-
tive not only in the problems they choose to address but in the solutions
they offer. Certainly agencies should not ignore complicated relationships
between problems that demand coordinated and consistent solutions, but at the
same time they need not cover everything. The desire to tie up every loose
end has hung up many planners and reduced their effectiveness with decision
makers. The 208 program offers a good chance to learn from these experiences
and come up with selective, sound, and politically acceptable solutions.
The water quality issues that have been identified are complex. Relat-
ing in-stream water pollution generation to categories of nonpoint source
activity is a difficult and time-consuming process. But a considerable
amount of research is available to WQM agencies; every agency need not do
its own original research to come up with good, workable solutions. What is
important is knowing what is available and using the data to focus program
direction—and allocate agency resources—on solving pressing local water
quality problems. (See Figure 1.)
The experiences of some well-developed 208 programs and other similar
planning programs indicate the need for an early and continuous focus on
specific goals and possible implementation strategies. The significance of
this focus is perhaps too well known to the many planners who have found that
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Figure 1
The Role of Land Use Planning and Control
in Water Quality Management
BALANCE AND
REDUCE POINT
DISCHARGES
GOALS
REDUCE AND
BALANCE
NON-POINT
DISCHARGES
CONSERVE
NATURAL
FEATURES
REGIONAL
STRATEGIES
• MODIFY
GROWTH RATES
• MODIFY GROWTH
DISTRIBUTION
• CONSERVE EN
VIRONMENTALLY
SENSITIVE AREAS
& OPEN SPACE
• CONTROL SITING
OF "CRITICAL
USES-
STRATEGIES
SITE DEVELOP-
MENT STRATEGIES
• MODIFY SITE
LOCATION
PRACTICES
• MODIFY
PROJECT
SIZE & MIX
• IMPROVE SITE
PLANNING &
DEVELOPMENT
LAND MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES
• CONTROL CON-
STRUCTION RE-
LATED EROSION
• UTILIZE AGRI-
CULTURE & SIL-
VICULTURE
CONSERVATION
PRACTICES
• MANAGE FLOOD
PLAIN &
SHORELINE USES
• CONTROL
RESOURCE
EXTRACTION
ACTIVITIES
REGULATIONS
• ZONING
• SUBDIVISION
REGS
• BUILDING
CODES
• SPECIAL
ORDINANCES
• STATE LAND
USE REGS
• STATE DIS-
CHARGE PERMITS
• HEALTH COOES
TECHNIQUES
INCENTIVES &
DISINCENTIVES
• TIMBER
CONSERVATION
INCENTIVES
• DEVELOPMENT
BONUSES &
PENALTIES
• RELOCATION
SUBSIDIES
• DEVELOPMENT
DISINCENTIVES
• TAX DEFERMENT
ACQUISITION
PROGRAMS
• OPEN SPACE
ACQUISITION
• SCENIC &
CONSERVATION
EASEMENTS
• PARK
DEDICATION
• LAND
BANKING
• URBAN
RENEWAL
GRANT
PROGRAMS
• CONDITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
• FACILITY
DEVELOPMENT
• LAND ACQUI-
SITION
• PLANNING
• NEW TOWNS
INTER-GOVT
ARRANGEMENTS
a REVIEWS
• ZONING &
SUBDIVISION
REFERRAL
• NEWGOVT
FORMS
• A-95 REVIEW
• E 1 S
VOLUNTARY
AGREEMENTS
a SERVICES
• LENDING
POLICIES
• INNOVATIVE
ENTREPRE-
NEURSHIP
• TRADE ASSOC
GUIDANCE
PUBLIC
FACILITY
DEVELOPMENT
& SERVICE
DELIVERY
• URBAN SERV-
ICE POLICY
• SEWER TAP
POLICY
• CAPITAL
IMPROV POLICY
• MORATORIA
a BANS
Source: Environments for Tomorrow, Inter-Relationships of Land-Use Planning
and Control to Water Quality Management Planning, U.S. Environmental '
Protection Agency, 1973, p. 95. 2
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supposedly workable solutions are politically unpopular and infeasiole. In
many instances, emphasis may be placed on identifying and controlling the
most serious water pollution problems initially and resolving the remaining
ones over time. In any case the implementation strategies developed are
critical factors in determining the usefulness of the sources, scales, for-
mats, and analyses of the information collected by 208 agencies. For exam-
ple, detailed maps are required for regulatory purposes. An early decision
about something as basic as map scales can save time and money later.
A good way to get the program focusing on solvable water pollution
problems early is to talk to the people in the region. One western WQM
agency, for example, worked with special committees to come up with a list of
water problems that had some possibility of being solved. Following the
problem-identification stage, the committees were again used to develop a
list of solutions for each of the problems identified. Thus, at a very early
stage the agency was able to focus its attention on specific problems in spe-
cific places. In the relatively short time of fourteen months, the agency
had prepared detailed cost estimates of a range of solutions to these prob-
lems. This means that in the remaining ten months the agency could concen-
trate on further developing and specifying its plans and programs and work
with local governments and others to gain support for carrying them out.
In some other regions, possible solutions are not considered until the
final plan preparation phase. The inventory and problem definition phases in
some work programs run anywhere from three to nine months into the program.
The plan formulation phase may begin in the twelfth month while the final
plan preparation begins sometime after the sixteenth or eighteenth month.
Since it is intended that elements of the plan should be implemented within
the two years, far too much time is spent on problem identification.
Certainly considering solutions at the beginning involves some risks
that perhaps could be avoided in a more carefully ordered approach to water
quality planning and management. Such a process does not try to cover all
possible land use related water quality problems in the region. It may miss
some of the interrelationships between problems that may suggest joint solu-
tions. But the selective approach may be more politically desirable because
it brings faster results. It is a conscious trading of elaborate, exhaustive,
and complicated data gathering, analysis, and plan making for the rapid iden-
tification of problems and solutions, selection of priorities, and achieve-
ment of quick success. Given the nature of the 208 program, its big mission
and short time schedule, this is a sensible approach.
2. Talk to the Experts
Planners in 208 agencies are finding that one of their most difficult
problems is getting solid interpretations from the great mass of existing
data. Indeed, the kinds of primary and secondary data that could be col-
lected and the number of ways to manipulate them appear to outrun analytic
capabilities. (Though in some places new water quality and other data must
be gathered through new testing stations.) But 208 planners are discovering
that one of the best methods to isolate critical data and to effect solid
analysis and solutions is to talk to the experts.
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Data experts are the people who initially gather the data or the peo-
ple who constantly work with them. Soil scientists, hydrologists, land use
planners, photo interpreters, public works engineers, developers, and geolo-
gists have those important qualities of experience and expertise. Often,
these are the people who first mapped data on soil, topography, or hydrology
or who first interpreted land use from aerial photographs. More important,
they often have direct experience in and thus can offer practical solutions
to specific water quality problems.
Sometimes 208 agencies operate under the mistaken assumption that these
experts really don't want to be bothered. In one western region, for example,
the 208 management failed to invite the local Soil Conservation Service to
participate in any substantive way in the 208 process. Yet this 208 agency
intended to devote a large segment of its resources to the interpretation of
SCS-generated soil surveys. As a result, 208 staffers were constant visitors
to SCS offices, gathering maps and picking up reports, but reluctant to get
into questions that might involve large chunks of SCS time. Thus the 208
planners spent many frustrating hours evaluating these data and adapting them
to their special purpose. In exasperation, the local SCS chief complained to
208 officials that SCS had never even been invited to participate. The 208
staffers were delighted. But the program had been underway for several
months and it was too late to make use of the SCS's help.
There are, of course, potential problems with relying upon the advice
and interpretations of some data experts. One of the most common is that
the experts themselves may sometimes be consumed by the data they generate.
Ask some experts what to do and they may say, "Collect more data" or "Ana-
lyze it further." Another difficulty is that some experts may recognize only
the conventional ways of doing things and may not be able to respond with the
necessary flexibility.
There are many ways to avoid these problems. One of the best is to en-
sure that the experts understand that 208 is a problem-solving program and is
intended to provide solutions. This suggests that the experts be asked to
look for quick, inexpensive solutions to water quality problems. This ap-
proach leads to questions like, "If you (the experts) had to produce three
solutions to a given quality problem in four weeks, what would you do?" Or,
"If you (the expert) had to produce a map which was suitable for land-use
regulations showing the five most development-sensitive soils, how would you
do it?" Thus 208 planners should ensure that the participation of the ex-
perts extends beyond such questions as "What data do you have?" to questions
of "How can we use the existing data, quickly and effectively, to produce
solutions to specific water quality problems?"
There is a variety of ways that 208 planners can capture this exper-
tise. If the region has relatively few experts, then the planners might
maintain a one-to-one relationship. If the region is blessed with a great
deal of expertise, technical committees might be formed. In some instances,
cooperative cost-sharing arrangements might be reached.
3. Know Your Land Use and Water Quality Models
The first two guidelines are critical for keeping information targeted
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on resolving regional water quali-ty problems. But to be comprehensive, some
activities in the 208 program may demand some expansion of this problem
solving approach. Devising a new land use inventory that will serve 208 and
other planning purposes is one such example. This activity produces a tool
for problem solving and thus can expedite the process. However, it is impor-
tant to maintain the perspective on problem solving to ensure a clear analy-
sis of the usefulness of the proposed activity. Indiscriminate allocation
of resources (including staff, time, and finances) to land use and water
quality modeling may be one such process.
Agencies performing 208 water quality management are required to evalu-
ate the environmental capacity of alternative physical and land-use controls.
Different models have been developed to provide a quantitative measurement of
various aspects of land use and water quality; and some can provide estimates
of the effectiveness of proposed water quality programs. For example, some
models can determine the magnitude of wash-off from impervious areas; others
can give rough estimates of the water quality consequences of sweeping the
streets once a month versus once a year. Or a model might estimate the
effect on water quality of on-site runoff retention.
In the context of information collection and analysis, the usual cau-
tions about the use of models and computers must be stated. Models can be
useful tools when kept in perspective with other program objectives. It is
often the case that the data required for the model are unavailable or of dif-
ferent scales, formats, and types than existing information. For example,
land-use categories used by local planning agencies (residential, commercial,
etc.) may be different from the categories that must be used by a model. In
this instance and in others, 208 agencies must be prepared to balance the
costs of providing the data required by a model and the output that the model
can produce.
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PART II
LAND USE INFORMATION FOR WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING
—Where to find it
—Its format
—Its usefulness
This section describes for water quality management planners what kinds
of land use information are likely to be available and useful to them in
identifying the impact of land use activities on water quality and in seeking
planning and management strategies to solve water quality problems. It is
organized around the sources and types of information available and points up
the first steps in data collection, which experts to consult, which maps and
reports to get, and so on. It is not a manual on methods and techniques for
analyzing the relationship between water quality and land use. A great deal
of work already has been done and continues to be done in that area, much of
it under EPA sponsorship. This study is designed to complement that work.
The message is simple: there is a great deal of extremely valuable in-
formation available to planners in every region, if they only know where to
look. The information may sometimes be incomplete, or in the wrong format,
but it is still enormously useful. These secondary sources often will suf-
fice. Only as a last resort is the best, but also the most expensive, method
—the land use field survey—used.
This is a list of available sources. The first five sources listed—
soil surveys, aerial photographs, topographic maps, hydrological maps, and
comprehensive plans—are likely to be the most useful for working on land use
and water quality problems. Other sources should be considered as substitutes
for or duplicates of them. Appendix A keys interim outputs for land use
identified in the Interim Output Evaluation Handbook for Section 208 Areawide
Waste Treatment Management Planning, to the most useful and productive
sources.
This list can be used to examine possible alternatives when important
sources of information are missing. For example, a region might prefer a
complete set of USGS topographic and hydrologic maps to serve as base maps
for the entire program. But when sources are not available, the agency
might find that USGS orthophotoquads are available, although they may be less
complete and drawn to a smaller scale. Alternatively, 208 agencies might
turn to LANDSAT data to perform many functions that may have been accomplished
with orthophotoquads, had they been attainable. Thus, this list is a flexible
one that can be adapted to a variety of local circumstances to serve a host
of 208 planning requirements.
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The data obtained from some of these information sources have some lim-
itations. First, scales and survey boundaries of some land use data may vary
and be incompatible with one another. For example, early topographic maps of
Connecticut were 15-minute quadrangles on the scale of 1:62,500 (1 inch = 1
mile) with 20-foot contour intervals. Later maps were 7-1/2-minute quad-
rangles on a scale of 1:31,680 (1 inch = 1/2 mile). In 1967, a topographic
maps of the state was produced on a scale of 1:125,000 (1 inch = 2 miles)
with 50-foot contour intervals. Revised editions record man-made changes
only. On the other hand, a soil survey map was prepared on an aerial photo-
graph base at a scale of 1:15,840. Aerial photography maps can be reduced or
expanded in scale. Reduction or enlargement, however, may create distortion
and incongruency in the identifiable features of the aerial photograph and a
topographic map, for instance.
Further, certain sources of land use information—such as zoning ordi-
nances and comprehensive or general plans—may be dated and are not useful.
This problem may be particularly evident in areas experiencing rapid growth
and development and other recent urbanizing conditions. Finally, the infor-
mation on some sources is directly affected by seasons (wet weather, dry
weather, ice and snow cover, etc.). Soil surveys are particularly susceptible
to inaccuracy.
1. Soil Surveys
The Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
conducts soil surveys routinely and widely. These surveys, originally in-
tended for improving agriculture, have also been concerned with erosion from
roadways and subdivisions and are an extremely useful, important planning re-
source .
Contact; Local Soil Conservation Service offices or State Conserva-
tionists (see Appendix B).
Format of Information; Aerial photographs (usually used as base maps)
and soil survey maps witn accompanying reports, tabulations, and interpreta-
tions.
Elements of Information to Consider; Soil maps by themselves are not
likely to produce a great deal of information for anyone but a skilled soils
scientist. Thus, unless the maps are accompanied by interpretive reports,
they are not likely to be of much use. This suggests that 208 planners
should establish an early and continuous relationship with the Soil Conserva-
tion Service. Another good reason for a close working relationship is that
there are many possible interpretations of soil survey maps. Of these, only
a few are truly central to planning. Soil scientists can isolate the impor-
tant ones. Some important interpretations are:
A. Depth of Watertable: This category is important for many reasons
as it identifies clear limitations on septic tanks; areas not suitable for
development; water quality problem areas; and drainage problems.
B. Hydrologic Soil Groups: This grouping identifies soils with high
runoff potential. Obviously, these areas must be carefully evaluated since
runoff is closely linked to water quality and water quantity problems. Spe-
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cial attention given to these areas may go a long way in preventing runoff-
related water quality problems.
C. Erosion Hazard Groups: High erosion-hazard areas can be major
producers of sediment. Once disturbed, these areas can release tremendous
amounts of soil that will eventually find their way into surface waters or
clog recharge areas. As sediment is a leading pollutant, special planning
and regulatory attention should be given this category.
D. Soil Permeability: Extremely high and extremely low permeability
ratings are important to water quality and quantity. Septic tanks, for
example, may not work at all in areas with low permeability ratings. Water
may lie on the surface for long periods and cause unsanitary conditions as
well as raise the threat of flooding. Highly permeable areas, on the other
hand, may also prove troublesome, since liquids pass through them quickly to
the groundwater, without filtering out pollutants.
These are a few of the more important interpretations for water quality
planning purposes. There are many others, such as hillside slippage and
depth to bedrock, which might be important in select regions. The main point
is that 208 planners should review this information with the data source—the
local Soil Conservation Service office—in order to identify the key cate-
gories and interpret them.
2. Aerial Photography
Aerial photographs, including high-altitude photographs and remote
sensing, are an important source of information for water quality planning
and management. Aerial photographs indicate the use of land as well as a
whole range of natural features and the relationships between the natural and
man-made features or conditions (see Appendix C for types of detail available
at various scales).
Contact: There are a number of federal, state, and local agencies that
may have complete or partial aerial coverage of the region.
The Federal sources are:
A. Historical: Cartographic Records Division, National Archives,
General Services Administration, Washington, D.C. 20408.
B. Department of Agriculture:
CD Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service: Aerial
Photography Field Office, Administrative Services Division, 2511
Parley's Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109.
(2) Soil Conservation Service: Contact State Conservationists or
Local SCS Offices (See Appendix B).
(3) Forest Service: Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, Agri-
cultural Building, 12th and Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C.
20250.
8
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C. Department of the Interior:
(1) Geological Survey: National Cartographic Information Center,
U.S.G.S., 507 National Center, Reston, Virginia 22092.
(2) Earth Resources Observation Systems Program: User Services
Unit, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198.
D. National Ocean Survey: Coastal Mapping Division, C3415, National
Ocean Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration CNOAA), Rock-
ville, Maryland 20852.
The State sources are: The state offices of transportation often have
aerial photos of large portions of the state, especially those areas within
existing or proposed state highway corridors.
The Local sources are: General purpose governments often have complete
sets of aerial photographs covering their jurisdiction.
Format of Information; The photos themselves plus accompanying reports
and maps generated by the photographs.
Elements of Information to Consider; There is no substitute for a
skilled photo-interpreter, preferably someone who has worked with the photo-
graphs in the past. Unless the aerials will be used for the broadest kinds
of observations (i.e., size of a lake, or patterns of new development), the
services of such a skilled interpreter will be required. Cooperative arrange-
ments with the aerial lending or issuing agency is one worthwhile approach.
A. National Archives: This is the storage place of historical aerial
photos, some of which date back to the 1920s. These photos are useful in
understanding changing development patterns and in following the topographical
evolution of certain watercourses, such as streams and wetlands. Further,
these photos can also provide valuable information on the alteration of the
natural landscape—the addition of ponds and lakes, for example, as well as
changes in vegetative cover over time, say from brush to forest.
B. U.S. Department of Agriculture:
CD The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service oper-
ates primarily in active agricultural areas. But it does have photo-
graphic coverage of many areas of the country which were once active
agricultural areas. Scales of 1:20,000 are common.
(2) The Soil Conservation Service uses aerial photographs as the
base document for their soil surveys. The photographs are generally
available at scales of either 1:20,000 (3.17 inches = 1 mile) or
1:15,840 (4 inches = 1 mile).
(3) The U.S. Forest Service often has aerial photographs of
forested areas, especially in large national forests or in national
parks. Scale varies.
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C. United States Department of Interior
(1) The U.S. Geological Survey has two important types of aerial
photographs useful for planning purposes. The first type is the verti-
cal photographs used to make the widely used topographic maps. These
photographs are prepared at a scale of 1:24,000. The other type of
aerial is an orthophoto quadrangle, a planimetric, scale-corrected
photo-image map. This quadrangle is distinctive because it is accurate-
ly positioned as a standard topographic map and is compatible with 7-1/2
minute quadrangle and other maps prepared with a 7-1/2 minute base.
This map can serve as a basic data source as well as an information
product, despite the lack of delineated natural and cultural features.
An orthophoto quadrangle, in combination with a field survey, can be
used to identify wetlands, scenic areas, erosion areas, and other fea-
tures observable on the aerial photograph. The quality of the photo-
graph may sometimes be of issue. Scale is generally standardized at
1:24,000.
(2) Earth Resources Observation Systems Program (EROS): This pro-
gram provides a variety of small scale aerial photography and other
remote sensing data. This includes LANDSAT (formerly ERTS) data, NASA
Skylab, and NASA Earth Resources Aircraft Program. High aerial photo-
graphs by NASA are available on a scale of 1:15,000 to 1:120,000.
LANDSAT may be particularly interesting to 208 planners since it has
been used in mapping variations in water quality. LANDSAT data can be
used to detect certain water quality and quantity effects of land use
development by sedimentation loads. One interesting service provided
by EROS is a computerized program which can print out the types of ser-
vices that EROS can provide for any area in the country. A letter to
EROS is all one needs and the computer will respond with information on
the types of high altitude or remote sensing of coverage available for
your region.
D. U.S. Department of Commerce: The National Ocean Survey has aerial
photographs in strips of many areas of the nation's coastline.
E. State Transportation Departments: These state agencies generally
have the longest history or experience in aerial photography of any state
agency. Transportation departments were one of the first state agencies to
consistently use aerial photographs in planning for new transportation routes.
Thus they have two important resources: skilled interpreters and a large set
of photographs which may cover major areas of the state. While a state agen-
cy may have coverage of the entire state, the photographs usually run along
existing or projected corridors or routes and are available at various scales.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Maps
These maps are an important planning resource and often serve as the
base maps for water quality management planning. Their distinctive feature
is that they present a graphic representation of the shape of part of the
earth's surface.
Contact; One of nine USGS regional offices (See Appendix D).
10
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Format of Information: Topographic maps, aerial photographs, and
special surveys. Most recent maps, particularly those with considerable de-
tail, are 7-1/2" or 1:24,000. Others are 1:62,500 or smaller scales.
Elements of Information to Consider; USGS topographic maps present
three types of important information.
A. Topographic Features: This is the distinctive feature of USGS
topographic maps. Contour lines on the maps indicate slopes, mountains,
hills, plateaus, valleys, and other features of the terrain, with the detail
varying depending on the map scale and the contour interval. This informa-
tion has been used by 208 planners to identify slope areas, erosion areas,
floodplains, wetlands, and other sensitive land areas.
B. Water Features: The maps show location and shape of oceans, lakes,
rivers, canals, glaciers, swamps, and other water-related resource areas,
information of considerable value in 208 planning.
C. Man-Made Features: The topographic map also shows a number of
man-made features such as streets and highways, trails, dams, buildings,
airports, railroads, city and county boundaries, and transmission lines.
4. U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Maps
Hydrology is concerned with the properties of water, including circula-
tion and distribution, on and below the ground. The USGS produces informa-
tion that covers various characteristics of the hydrologic cycle—the circular
path which water takes as it falls in the form of precipitation, penetrates
into groundwater reserves, collects in lakes, streams, and oceans, and is
evaporated by the sun or transpired by plants back into the atmosphere.
While some information is available for the entire United States, other hy-
drological characteristics have been mapped only for limited areas.
Contact; Water Information Group, U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop
420, National Center, Reston, Virginia 22092 (See Appendix E).
Format of Information; Maps, atlases, or reports; a free publication
available for each state, "Water Resources Investigation," includes a list of
a selected number of reports prepared for each state. Depending on detail,
scale of maps vary from 1:24,000 to 1:250,000.
Elements of Information to Consider; Hydrologic maps and other reports
include lots of data about the quality and quantity of ground and surface
water. "Hydrologic information includes analyses of the elevation levels of
major floods, depth to mineralized groundwater, saline water resources,
geohydrology, chemical qualities of surface water, temperature of surface
water, and water resources of river basins.
Groundwater data have been used to identify aquifer recharge and dis-
charge areas and to evaluate the adequacy of water supplies. Comprehensive
information concerning flow systems is usually lacking, due in part to the
prohibitive costs of drilling test wells and mapping subsurface aquifers.
11
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5. General, Comprehensive, or Policy Plans
These plans set out the future pattern of development for a local jur-
isdiction, county, or region. The level of detail and precision of plans
varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some are extremely detailed in-
cluding considerable land use and environmental inventory information, others
are only broad policy guides for the community. Some communities do not
have plans.
Contact: Planning department; local general purpose government.
Format of Information; The plans are usually contained in one report
or a series of reports. Maps usually accompany the reports. Aerial photo-
graphs may be available.
Elements of Information to Consider;
A. Distribution of Land Uses: Land use categories, depending on the
place and scale, may include residential, manufacturing, transportation,
communication and utilities, trades and services, entertainment, recreation,
resource production and extraction, open space, and wetlands. Type of land
use, its location and extent, is important information for 208 planners,
since land use affects all aspects of water quality, including the capabili-
ties of watersheds and aquifer recharge areas, the incidence of sedimenta-
tion, and the stability of the aquatic ecosystem.
B. Future Growth and Development: Most plans indicate the community's
policies on future growth and development. The type, location, amount and
rate of population growth, employment growth, housing, and so forth may be
specified. These policies are terribly useful to 208 planners who must
translate forecasts of population, land use, and the distribution of other
activities into anticipated levels of water quality.
C. Sensitive Areas: Some general plans contain sections on conserva-
tion, natural resources, or open space, or detailed natural environmental
inventories are prepared prior to plan preparation. Important characteris-
tics about local water bodies and water courses and other sensitive areas,
such as wetlands, hillsides, and wooded areas as well as the size and condi-
tion of the resource may be described. Further, special studies may give
specific interpretations of the capacity of the land to support various
types of uses without seriously impairing natural processes.
6. Zoning Ordinances and Subdivision Regulations
These land use controls are two of the most precise land use documents
that local governments possess. They specify local control over the use of
land, type and intensity, and rules for converting undeveloped land to urban
use.
Contact; Zoning or planning department; local general purpose govern-
ments .
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Format of Information: The zoning ordinance including text and maps;
subdivision regulations (text only).
Elements of Information to Consider;
A. Growth and Development Policies: Zoning ordinances specify,
through legislation, the local policy for new growth and development. The
ordinance establishes various districts and'uses allowed in the districts,
and standards controlling development in each district. Examination of the
districts and uses allowed can provide information on the local policy toward
future growth and development—where, what type, how much, and when growth
will or will not be permitted.
B. Standards Affecting Natural Processes: Ordinances may set out
regulations for treatment of land areas easily disturbed by development,
such as hillsides, wetlands, wooded areas, recharge areas, and floodplains.
Standards to reduce erosion, sedimentation, and runoff may be included.
Most ordinances include provisions for regulating such processes as
mineral extraction, topsoil removal, excavation, and other earth processes.
When insufficient environmental studies are conducted, regulations may not
reflect water quality considerations. For example, aquifer recharge areas
might be zoned for major new commercial developments that, because of their
high lot coverage, would impair the recharge function. Or, zoning might
permit the most intensive type of development in highly erodible soils.
C. Lot Coverage Requirements: While mainly used to control density
and aesthetics, land development standards may also limit the amount of sur-
face covered by impervious material. In an industrially zoned area, for ex-
ample, coverage by buildings and paved areas might be limited to 40 per cent
of the lot area. This figure may be as high as 90 per cent in high-density
zones. Coverage requirements may also be set out in terms of bulk regula-
tions such as floor area ratios. Since impervious cover is a prime determi-
nant of the amount of runoff, coverage requirements by land use category
(residential, commercial, industrial, etc.) should be analyzed. These re-
quirements snould also be checked against local soil conditions since these
conditions, too, may vary significantly from place to place.
D. Flexible Zoning Techniques: It is often the case that local regu-
lations include some flexible zoning techniques such as incentive (or bonus)
zoning, subdivision exactions, and clustering provisions. In many of these
techniques, final decisions about the actual development are made by the
jurisdiction after negotiating with the developer. Some-of these techniques
may give opportunities for achieving water quality objectives, such as by
giving developers bonuses of higher density for protecting especially sensi-
tive areas. But, they can work against water quality objectives as well.
Ordinances should be examined to see if such provisions exist and how they
work with respect to water quality.
E. Subdivision Regulations: These control the process of converting
"raw" into developed land by setting standards for streets, sewers, drainage,
septic tanks (where permitted), water supply, curbs and gutters, and general
site design. What these regulations cover and how they are administered can
13
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significantly affect the change in water quality prior to and after develop-
ment.
7. Floodplain Regulations
"Floodplain" is a general term for the land area adjacent to a water-
course, such as a river, stream, or creek, which has been or may be covered
by flood waters. The planning and regulation of floodplains have important
linkages to the 208 program. Aside from the obvious hydrologic relationships,
a great deal of information used to develop floodplain management programs
is also useful in water quality management planning.
Contact: County or metropolitan flood control districts or the state
water agency. Regional HUD Offices (Office of Flood Insurance), U.S. Weather
Bureau, regional offices of the Corps of Engineers, offices of USGS, local or
county water agencies, planning or zoning agencies, or public works depart-
ments. Any or all of these may be involved in a total flood-control program.
If a flood control agency exists, start there; if not, the best bet is prob-
ably the regional planning agency.
Format of Information; Maps and reports detailing surface and subsur-
face hydrology of the area. This includes information on location and routes
of water courses, flow characteristics, flood-prone areas, meteorology, ad;ja-
,cent land uses, problem conditions. Copies of existing or proposed flood-
plain regulations.
Elements of Information to Consider;
A. Land Use/Water Quality: Floodplain regulations are important for
their direct substantive ties to water quality goals. Such regulations may
set up a series of floodplain districts which generally parallel the floodway
path and within which regulations—permitted uses, development standards—
vary. The more likely to flood, the more restrictive the controls. These
regulations all have important water quality relationships. For example,
farming is often a permitted use on floodplain districts. Yet agricultural
erosion is one leading generator of sediment and pesticide—or fertilizer--
related pollutants. Maybe the standards themselves should also be examined.
For example, a small natural buffer zone between all permitted uses and the
water course would serve to help filter and trap various types of pollutants.
Conversely, standards which do not account for this filtering function may be
detrimental to water quality.
B. Land-Use/Water Quantity Relationships: Planning for floodplains
often requires analysis of expected flows which in turn requires analysis of
runoff in the watershed. The information generated in this analysis can be
used by 208 planners in their estimates of current and projected runoff,
erosion and sedimentation from the existing and projected land use patterns.
C. Basic Hydrology: Reports on the floodplains will often be the
single best source of information on the basic hydrology of the watershed.
They may include data on topography, land use, length of channels, tempera-
ture of water, size of drainage basins, width and length of channels, flow
rates, food discharge, floodplains, flood frequency, wetlands, recharge
14
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areas, easily erodible soils and so forth. The reports will also identify
basic sources of information which will be useful to 208 planners.
D. Administration: One important feature of the regulation of flood-
plains is the number of agencies and procedures that might be involved in it.
This might include local general purpose and special district governments,
special conservation commissions, or administrative review procedures in
regional HUD offices. Water quality planners should identify the roles and
regulations of all these agencies in order to determine the regulatory con-
flicts, to identify gaps in the regulatory approach, and to gather base data
8. Plat Books and Assessors' Rolls
A plat consists of a map or chart of a city, town, section, or subdivi-
sion showing the location and boundaries of individual properties. Plats
contain information about land ownership and are most often used for tax
assessment purposes. Tax assessment sheets, usually pretty accurately drawn,
may be used by 208 agencies as base maps for conducting field surveys, parti-
cularly in rural areas, and to determine the location of tax-exempt land.
Contact; County or city, township, or village registrar of deeds or
tax assessor.
Format of Information; Reproductions of plat and tax assessment sheets.
Copies usually are not available or are extremely expensive to reproduce since
each sheet may cover only a small area.
Elements of Information to Consider:
A. Ownership: Ownership data may be important after water quality
problem areas are designated. For example, although existing land use maps
identify public lands by such categories as recreation, transportation
routes, utilities and other uses, ownership data is needed to differentiate
between federal, state, and local ownership. Land in public ownership may
require a different management approach when there are water quality problems
to be solved.
B. Assessed Valuation: Assessed valuation data may be omitted from
the assessment sheets used in the field survey. Nevertheless, these data
may help to determine development potential for the jurisdiction. Most
often, the land is valued at some percentage of its market value at the
land's highest and best use. This valuation may or may not include consider-
ation of local zoning. Thus it can provide a strong check of information in
the zoning ordinance (or vice versa) concerning development potential of im-
portant parcels. High assessed valuation on vacant land indicates strong
development pressure, from the tax itself or from forces which produce the
high valuation.
C. Update Current Land Use: Ownership and assessed valuation data
can also be used to update land use maps, to make them reflect current land
use or as a cross reference to check questionable land uses identified
through other sources such as aerial photographs.
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9. Transportation Studies
Maps prepared as part of such studies set out the basic transportation
scheme for the jurisdiction. They often form the basic data collection unit
for 208 land use studies.
Contact; County highway or road departments, or transportation dis.-
trict offices and planning departments. Also contact the state transporta-
tion departments to check and update the local information.
Format of Information; Copies of maps which lay out routes, capacities
and traffic counts of existing network as well as routes, capacities, and
timing of new roads. Reports often accompany the maps and give details on
routes, capacities, usage, and timing for the entire existing or produced
network. There may be similar information on existing or planned transit
systems.
Elements of Information to Consider
A. Population and Employment: Transportation plans prepared by state,
regional, county, and city agencies are excellent sources of information on
population and employment, both current and projected. Models used by trans-
portation planners demand extensive population and employment figures. These
projections are often broken down into small areas called traffic zones which
then are used to project future land use patterns. The population projec-
tions prepared under these programs may be used in lieu of the OBERS "Series
E" national population projections prepared by the Department of Commerce's
Bureau of Economic Analysis, if their use can be justified.
B. Network Development: The transportation networks proposed in these
plans and maps are strong indicators of future development patterns. By
looking at locations, capacities, and interchanges and comparing these to
existing patterns of development, planners can get a good understanding of
key areas for new development and timing of new development. Just as impor-
tant, this information will also point out those areas not likely to develop
for some time.
C. Location and Characteristics: The transportation routes themselves
can cause important water quality problems. Runoff from streets and highways
is often a problem when it drains directly into a water course. Oil drip-
pings, unburned fuel, road salts, and general grime which collects on streets
can be highly contaminating, especially at the beginning of a storm. Knowl-
edge of location, traffic counts, capacities and their relationship to the
drainage system can lead to a quick evaluation of this potential problem
condition.
10. Health and Sanitation Records
Private septic tanks are often the main sewage disposal method in rural
areas. Leakage from septic tanks and raw sewage dumping causes water pollu-
tion. Among other things, health codes generally set standards for the con-
struction, number, and location of private wells and residential sewage sys-
tems, such as septic tank systems; inspection procedures and requirements for
16
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new septic tanks; and regulations for commercial and industrial sewage treat-
ment systems.
Contact: County and city health boards and agencies; local offices of
state health boards and agencies; state water control boards; pollution con-
trol agencies; and the like.
Format of Information! Copies of health codes, standards, and require-
ments for the use of septic tanks, private wells, and other private sewage
systems; inventories of septic tank permits, land fills, and strip mines;
surveys of areas with septic tank failures; inventories of commercial and
industrial sewage treatment systems; and laboratory results of air and water
quality samples. The data available and capacity for delivering technical
assistance vary significantly among health agencies, perhaps more than other
sources of information. Available reports may be in the form of memoranda,
simple inventories, coded maps, or laboratory analyses.
Elements of Information to Consider
A. Standards for the Location and Construction of Septic Tank Systems:
Local health agencies generally set the location and construction standards
for septic systems and other private residential sewage systems. Problems
with faulty septic or sewer systems that contaminate water sources may be
corrected by modifying or improving existing standards. Minimum changes in
the standards may eliminate the need for extensive and expensive future con-
ditions. Soil surveys of areas with septic tank failures may help to iden-
tify potential malfunctions that might affect water quality and also show
locations where private sewer systems would not be suitable.
B. Laboratory Testing: In addition to soil sampling, some health
boards may produce other sampling information of value to 208 planning. For
example, information on the effects of air pollution on surface water runoff
may be found in some laboratories.
11. Capital Improvements Programs
A community's capital improvements program indicates its plans and
schedule for public physical improvements, usually over 5-7 year period. Be-
cause the provision, nature and location of certain public facilities has a
strong influence on the pattern of urban growth, capital improvements pro-
grams although infrequently used, are considered an important tool to imple-
ment community land use plans.
Contact: Finance or budget officer; city manager or mayor; planning
department.
Format of Information: Municipal capital budgets, programs, and plans;
preliminary reports from participating municipal departments; financial anal-
yses.
Elements of Information to Consider
Physical facilities: "Corridor" or "linear" facilities such as high-
17
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way routes, transit lines, and water supply and sewer systems, are among the
most important determinants of future growth. While a plan may indicate an
intention, a CIP which includes provisions for new construction or moderniza-
tion is a specific allocation of public money and worthy of special note.
While other public facilities such as schools, libraries, police and fire
stations, parking lots, and playgrounds have far less influence on develop-
ment patterns, they can be part of an overall growth management strategy,
which in turn is a determinant of future waste loads.
12. U.S. Geological Survey Geological Maps
Geological maps have limited use. Detailed maps are available for
only a small portion of the country, are frequently old, and expert assis-
tance is required for interpretation.
Contact: One of nine USGS regional offices (See Appendix D).
Format of Information; Maps, reports and surveys.
Elements of Information to Consider; Geological maps can assist in the
identification of potential aquifers for domestic, commercial, or industrial
use; and sand and gravel deposits. They also can determine hazardous condi-
tions where development should not occur. If available, these sources will
probably already have been tapped by planning agencies for conducting land
resource inventories and developing plans. Additional analysis of these
data by a 208 agency under such conditions, is probably unnecessary.
13. Special Local Commissions, Boards, and Districts
In any 208 region there is likely to be a whole set of special purpose
governments which are often responsible for planning, protecting, and manag-
ing resources that have a direct bearing on 208 planning. Common commissions
and districts include: soil and-water conservation, water, sanitation and
sewer, watershed conservancy, water and sewer, flood control, port authori-
ties, canals, parks and recreation, forests, agricultural, public works,
irrigation, conservation and environmental, and economic development.
Contact; Special commissions are generally visible at the local level.
Local planners, both city and county, may be able to identify them. If not,
the tax assessor, in setting and collecting property, is likely to be in
contact with all active special district governments in the area.
Format of Information; Plans, reports, studies, inventories, capital
budgets, aerial photographs.
Elements of Information to Consider
A. Condition of Natural Resources: Some commissions and districts
may be responsible for the protection or conservation of important local
natural resources. These sources can identify the type and location of vari-
ous natural resources. Parks and recreation, for example, may provide a de-
tailed description of the condition, extent, and composition of existing flora
18
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and fauna and types of land use and other conditions that may have an adverse
impact on the resources.
B. Regulatory Functions: Resource oriented special commissions and
districts often possess regulatory responsibilities that overlap 208 planning
functions, particularly if they are permit issuing agencies. Such regula-
tions may often cover the development of floodplains, provisions for water
supplies, development along watercourses, etc. Furthermore, some commissions
or districts set local policy in terms of future economic development. In-
formation available at these sources may also help indicate the type; timing,
and rate of new development.
14. Resource People
The data which 208 agencies collect is only as good as their interpre-
tation. If at all possible, 208 agencies should try to use the talents of
the experts. Thus it is important to spend time trying to involve key re-
source personnel in the data collection and interpretation process. Indeed,
in many ways, the resource personnel may be more valuable than maps and re-
ports themselves.
Contact, Format and Elements of Information to Consider;
A. Regional USGS Offices: These offices are staffed by qualified
geologists, hydrologists and many other earth resource specialists. These
personnel are obviously most qualified to evaluate information contained in
such things as topographic maps and hydrologic maps. They also know the
shortcomings of this information and the places to go to get additional in-
formation that might be required.
B. Regional EPA Offices: Regional EPA offices house limited collec-
tions of technical material on most aspects of 208 planning. Some of this
material is directly concerned with the land use/water quality relationship
—how to define it, how to measure it, methods and techniques of analysis
and implementation. Some regional offices offer technical assistance in
water quality modeling. One of their most important resources is the knowl-
edge of ongoing 208 programs in the region as well as others across the coun-
try.
C. State Soil Conservationists Offices: This service also has expert
personnel. Soil scientists are the most familiar with soil survey informa-
tion as well as other data that SCS has or can provide. Further, they under-
stand the soils of the region and can provide evaluation and advice which
simply cannot be gleaned from the maps and reports. In many regions soil
scientists are crucial to the success of 208 programs.
D. State Planning Offices: 208 planners should recognize that state
planning offices typically collect a wealth of material. Occasionally, the
sources of the information or the information itself are computerized, pro-
viding an important library for 208 planners. Further, state planning
offices generally have good contacts at other important offices such as with
geologists and hydrologists and biologists. Thus, 208 planners should con-
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tact the state planning agency in search of hard data as well as information
on places to go and people to see.
E. Other State Offices: Each state houses a collection of resource
experts that can be extremely useful to 208 planners. Many of these experts
are located in the state capital but others can be found in regional offices.
Occasionally, these experts may be made available to 208 agencies if the
agency is faced with a unique opportunity of regional or statewide impor-
tance. State geologists, for example, are often located in departments or
divisions of divisions of mines and geology. State hydrologists may be found
in water survey offices or state water departments or water quality boards.
Regional water quality boards are also important sources of hydrologic exper-
tise.
F. Colleges and Universities: Professors and other staff are often
knowledgeable about environmental information, including land use/water
quality interrelations. These resources may be tapped to compile data, pre-
pare maps, analyze data, educate, and disseminate information. Water quality
modeling expertise and unpublished reports may be available. Students are
sometimes used to conduct field surveys for 208 agencies and sampling.
G. Private and Public Developers: Developers are often familiar with
environmental data collected for environmental impact statements and other
local regulatory requirements. In addition, developers may provide informa-
tion prepared for market analyses that may be beneficial in determining de-
velopment patterns. While some data may be biased, information from devel-
opers may be most useful for site-specific considerations. Likewise, con-
sultants may be knowledgeable about site-specific conditions, as well as
other local water quality planning concerns.
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APPENDIX A
INTERIM OUTPUTS FOR LAND USE INFORMATION: MAJOP SOURCES *
Resources for
Land-Use Information
Soil Surveys
Aerial Photos
USGS Topographic Maps
USGS Hydrologic Maps
Comprehensive Plans
Zoning Ordinances
Floodplain Regula-
tions
Plat Books and
Assessors' Rolls
Transportation
Studies
Health and Sanita-
tion Records
Capital Improvements
Programs
USGS Geological Maps
Special Local Commis-
sion and Districts
Resource People
Required Existing & Projec-
ted Area Characteristics
Population and
Economic
Projections
X
X
X
X
X
X
Land-Use
Projections
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Suggested Outputs (Illustrative Examples}
Identification of
Alternative Land-
Use Controls
X
X
X
X
X
X
Relationships
Between Land Use
and Hater Quality
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Identification of
Major Nonpoint
Source
Problems
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Identification
of Management
and Regulatory
Alternatives
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
* This table keys interim outputs for land use identified in the Interim Output Evaluation Handbook For Section 208
Areawide Waste Treatment Planning, to the most useful and productive sources of information
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APPENDIX B
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE
STATE CONSERVATIONISTS
SCS STATE OFFICE
TELEPHONE NO.
ALABAMA, Auburn 205-821-8070
ALASKA, Anchorage 907-274-7626
ARIZONA, Phoenix 602-261-3271
ARKANSAS, Little Rock 501-378-5445
CALIFORNIA, Davis 916-758-2200
CARIBBEAN AREA, Santurce 809-725-8966
COLORADO, Denver 303-837-4275
CONNECTICUT, Storrs 203-429-9361
DELAWARE, Dover 302-678-0750
FLORIDA, Gainesville 904-377-8732
GEORGIA, Athens 404-546-2275
HAWAII, Honolulu 808-546-3165
IDAHO, Boise 208-342-2711
ILLINOIS, Champaign 217-356-3785
INDIANA, Indianapolis 317-269-6515
IOWA, Des Moines 515-284-4260
KANSAS, Salina 913-825-9535
KENTUCKY, Lexington 606-252-2312
LOUISIANA, Alexandria 318-448-3421
MAINE, Orono 207-866-2132
MARYLAND, College Park 301-344-4180
MASSACHUSETTS, Amherst 413-549-0650
MICHIGAN, East Lansing 517-372-1910
MINNESOTA, St Paul 612-725-7675
MISSISSIPPI, Jackson 601-969-4335
MISSOURI, Columbia 314-442-2271
MONTANA, Bozeman 406-587-5271
NEBRASKA, Lincoln 402-471-5301
NEVADA, Reno 702-784-7304
NEW HAMPSHIRE, Durham 603-868-7581
NEW JERSEY, Somerset 201-246-1205
NEW MEXICO, Albuquerque 505-766-3277
NEW YORK, Syracuse 315-473-3530
NORTH CAROLINA, Raleigh 919-755-4210
NORTH DAKOTA, Bismarck 701-255-4011
OHIO, Columbus 614-469-6785
OKLAHOMA, Stillwater 405-372-7111
OREGON, Portland 503-221-2751
PENNSYLVANIA, Harnsburg 717-782-2202
RHODE ISLAND, West Warwick 401-828-1300
SOUTH CAROLINA, Columbia 803-765-5681
SOUTH DAKOTA, Huron 605-352-8651
TENNESSEE, Nashville 615-749-5471
TEXAS, Temple 817-773-1711
UTAH, Salt Lake City 801-524-5050
VERMONT, Burlington 802-862-6501
VIRGINIA, Richmond 804-782-2457
WASHINGTON, Spokane 509-456-3770
WEST VIRGINIA, Morgantown 304-599-7151
WISCONSIN, Madison 608-252-5341
WYOMING, Casper 307-265-5550
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APPENDIX C
APPROXIMATE AIRPHOTO SCALE RANGES USEFUL FOR
PLANNING AND PLANNING-RELATED STUDIES*
Scale 1:250,000
Example of uses
Level of detail discernible
Studies of land forms
Studies of gross land use
Natural features:
Mountain ranges
Valleys
Lakes
Rivers
Urban areas:
Rural areas:
Forests
Farmland
Scale 1:96,000-1:126,720
Studies of land forms
Studies of gross land use
Includes all discernible at
preceding scale
Urban areas:
Subdivisions
Rural areas:
Villages
Reservoirs
Transportation and communication
Ai rports
Railroad yards
Expressways and interchanges
Scale 1:62,500-1:70,000
General land-use studies at
State and regional levels
Studies of watershed drainage
patterns
Studies of road and street
patterns
Studies of rate of rural to
urban land use change
Preliminary site selection
studies for new towns
Selection of possible sites
for State or county parks
Preliminary site selection
studies for new highways
Detail discernible at preceding
scale.
Natural features:
Streams Flood plains
Ponds Beaches
Potholes Rapids
Swamps
Urban land uses:
Residential areas
Industrial areas
Commercial areas
Parks and recreation areas
Race tracks
Rural land uses:
Woodlots
Cultivated fields
Pasture or idle land
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APPENDIX C (Cont'd.)
Scale 1:62,500-1:70,000(Continued)
Example of uses
Level of detail discernible
Industrial complexes
Transportation and communication:
High-voltage electric trans-
mission towers
Pipelines
Gas and oil storage tank farms
Scale 1:25,000-1:50,000
Natural resources inventory
Studies for reservoir site selection
Study of potential water power
Detail discernible at preceding
scale.
Transportation:
Railroads
Highways
Docks
Shipyards
Urban land uses:
Subdivisions
Shopping centers
Mobile home pa,rks
Central business districts
Drive-in theaters
Stadiums
Golf courses
Rural land uses:
Farms
Nurseries
Greenhouses
Cemeteries
Scale 1:12,000-1:20,000
Detailed land-use studies
Mapping the distribution of one
crop
Housing market analyses
Shopping center location
studies
Studies for selection of dam
sites
School site selection
Farm land-use planning
Erosion control studies
Detail discernible at preceding
scale.
Urban land uses:
Residential
Houses—single, duplex, row
Apartment buildings
Institutional
Hospitals
Churches
Community facilities
Schools
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APPENDIX C (Cont'd.)
Scale 1:12,000-1:20,000(Continued)
Example of uses
Level of detail discernible
Soil mapping
Forest classification
Forest inventory
Commercial
Shopping areas
Gasoline stations
Industrial
Factories
Warehouses
Vacant land
Rural land uses:
Nonfarm residential
Farmsteads
Houses
Barns
Cropland
Row crops
Close-grown crops
Pasture
Orchards
Vineyards
Idle land
Irrigation and drainage ditches
Natural features:
Rivers
Sandbars
Streams
Ponds
Swamps, marshes
Transportation and communication:
Roundhouses
Lanes
Streets
Parking lots
Bridges
Airports
Runways
Hangers
Administration buildings
Control towers
Pipelines
Pumping stations
Oil storage tanks
Gasometers
Water storage tanks
Recreation areas:
Football fields
Baseball diamonds
Campgrounds
Swimming pools
Picnic grounds
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APPENDIX C (Cont'd.)
Scale 1:7,920
Example of uses
Level of detail discernible
Classification and inventory
of buildings
Count buildings
Count railroad cars on a siding
Highway route selection
Detail discernible at preceding
scale.
Scale 1:5,280
Measure size of buildings
Identify individual heavy
industries
Detail discernible at preceding
scale.
Scale 1:2,400
Measure size of railroad cars
and automobiles
Detail discernible at preceding
scale
Source: Simon Baker. Aerial Photography for Planning and Development in
Eastern North Carolina; A Handbook and Directory, North Carolina State
University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607. April 1976.
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APPENDIX D
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
REGIONAL PUBLIC INQUIRIES OFFICES
108 Sklyline Building
508 Second Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501
7638 North Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
504 Custom House
555 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
1012 Federal Building
1961 Stout Street
Denver, GO 80202
General Services Building
18th and F Streets, N.W.
Washington, DC 20244
1045 Federal Building
1000 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202
8102 Federal Building
125 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
National Center
Room 1C-402
Reston, VA 22092
678 U.S. Court House
West 920 Riverside Avenue
Spokane, WA 99201
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APPENDIX E
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WATER RESOURCES DIVISION
Addresses of District Offices
Alabama
P.O. Box V
University, Alabama 35486
205/752-8104
Alaska
218 "E" Street Skyline Bldg.
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
907/277-5526
Arizona
Federal Bldg. , 301 W. Congress
Tucson, Arizona 85701
602/792-6671
Arkansas
Rm. 2301 Federal Office Bldg.
700 W. Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
501/378-5246
California
855 Oak Grove Avenue
Menlo Park, California 94025
Colorado
Bldg. 53, Stop 415, Box 25046
Denver Federal Center
Lakewood, Colorado 80225
Connecticut
Rm. 235, Post Office Building
135 High Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06101
203/244-2528
Delaware (See Maryland)
Florida
Suite F-240, 325 John Knox Rd.
Tallahassee, Florida 30303
904/386-1118
Georgia
6481 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite B
Doraville, Georgia 30340
404/526-4858
Hawaii
1833 Kalakaua Ave., 5th Floor
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815
808/955-0251
Idaho
Room 365, Federal Bldg., Box 036
550 W. Fort Street
Boise, Idaho 83724
208/342-2538
Illinois
P.O. Box 1026, 605 N. Neil St.
Champaign, Illinois 61820
217/359-3918
Indiana
1819 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
317/269-7101
Iowa
P.O. Box 1230
Rm. 269, Federal Building
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
319/338-0581
Kansas
1950 Avenue "A", Campus West
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
913/864-4321
Kentucky
Rm. 572, Federal Building
600 Federal Place
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
502/582-5241
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Louisiana
P.O. Box 66492
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70806
504/348-0181, Ext. 281
Maine (See Massachusetts)
Maryland (also Delaware)
8809 Satyr Hill Road
Parkville, Maryland 21234
301/661-4664
Massachusetts (also ME, NH, RI & VT)
150 Causeway St., Suite 1001
Boston, Massachusetts 02114
617/223-2822
Michigan
2400 Science Parkway
Red Cedar Research Park
Okemos, Michigan 48864
517/372-1910, Ext. 561
Minnesota
1033 Post Office Building
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101
617/725-7841
Mississippi
430 Bounds Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39206
601/969-4600
Missouri
1400 Independence Road
Rolla, Missouri 65401
314/364-1599
Montana
P.O. Box 1969
421 Federal Building
316 N. Park
Helena, Montana
406/449-5011, Ext. 5263
Nebraska
Rm. 406, Federal Building
U.S. Court House
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
402/471-5082
Nevada
Rm. 229, Federal Building
705 N. Plaza Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701
702/882-1388
New Hampshire (see Massachusetts)
New Jersey
P.O. Box 1238
Rm. 420, Federal Building
402 E. State Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08607
609/766-2246
New Mexico
P.O. Box 4369 Geology Bldg. 2nd Fl.
University of New Mexico Campus
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106
505/766-2246
New York
P.O. Box 1350
343 U.S.P.O. and Court House
Albany, New York 12201
518/472-3107
North Carolina
P.O. Box 2857
Century Station, P.O. Bldg.
Rm. 436
Raleigh, North Carolina 27602
North Dakota
P.O. Box 778
Rm. 332, Federal Bldg.
3rd St. and Rosser Avenue
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501
Ohio
975 W. Third Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43212
614/469-5553
Oklahoma
Rm. 621, 201 N.W. 3rd
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
405/231-4256
73102
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Oregon
P.O. Box 3202
830 N.E. Holladay St.
Portland, Oregon 97208
503/234-3361
Pennsylvania
P.O. Box 1107
4th Fl. Federal Building
Harrisburg, Pa. 17108
717/782-3468
Puerto Rico
Bldg. 652, P.O. Box 34168
Ft. Buchanan, Puerto Rico 00934
809/783-4660
Rhode Island CSee Massachusetts)
South Carolina
2001 Assembly St., Suite 200
Columbus, South Carolina 29201
803/765-5966
South Dakota
P.O. Box 1412
Rm. 231, Federal Building
Huron, South Dakota 57350
605/352-8651, Ext. 258
Tennessee
A-413 Fed. Bldg.
U.S. Courthouse
Nashville, Tennessee 37203
615/749-5424
Texas
Utah
8022 Federal Building
125 South State Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84138
801/524-5663
Vermont (See Massachusetts)
Virginia
200 W. Grace Street, Room 304
Richmond, Virginia 23220
804/782-2427
Washington
Rm. 300, 1305 Tacoma Avenue South
Tacoma, Washington 98402
206/593-6502
West Virginia
500 Quarrier St. E
Rm. 3303
Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
304/343-6181, Ext. 310
Wisconsin
Rm. 200
1815 University Ave.
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
608/262-2488
Wyoming
P.O. Box 2087
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
307/778-2220, Ext. 2111
649 Federal Building
300 East 8th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
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