EnviroAtlas

people * health 4 nature 4 economy

Community Summary
Fact Sheet

www.epa.gov/ en viroatl as

Virginia Beach/Williamsburg, VA and vicinity

Towns and cities rely on clean air, clean water, green space,
and other natural amenities for economic sustainability and
quality of life, yet their benefits are not always fully
understood or considered in local decisions. EPA and its
partners are producing EnviroAtlas to help communities
better use environmental assets for public good.

EnviroAtlas includes an online interactive mapping
application that anyone can use. The interactive map
contains over 300 maps available for the U.S., as well as
100+ fine-scale maps for selected U.S. communities about
existing and potential benefits from the local natural
environment. The EnviroAtlas community component is
based on 1-meter resolution land cover data. Information
derived from these data is summarized by census block
groups; more spatially explicit map layers are also provided.
This fact sheet highlights some of the many community data
layers available for the featured area of Virginia
Beach/Williamsburg, Virginia.

Background

The EnviroAtlas boundary for this area was determined
using the 2010 Census definition of an Urban Area. In
addition to Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, it includes all
of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, and
Portsmouth; most of Chesapeake, and some of Suffolk. The
area measures 3,255 square kilometers, and encompasses
1,058 census block groups.

The area is in the Virginian Barrier Islands and Coastal
Marshes ecoregion. It has a humid subtropical climate with
very hot, humid summers and cool winters. The area was

historically vegetated with northern beach grass and
deciduous oaks; however, much of the natural vegetation
has been removed for urbanization. The leading industry
sectors in the area are defense, tourism, healthcare, and
manufacturing. The U.S. Navy, the Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, Sentara
Healthcare, and Huntington Ingalls Industries are among the
largest employers. The demographics of the area indicate
that the potential exists for income and other disparities in
the distribution of environmental assets. EnviroAtlas
includes demographic maps that can help screen for
potential health and well-being disparities resulting from
disproportionate distribution of urban greenery.

Percent Land Cover in Community Area

¦ Water
i Imprevious

Soil & Barren
I Trees & Forest
Grass & Herbaceous
Agriculture
Woody Wetlands
Emergent Wetland

Virginia Bcach/WiI hamsburg Area
Demographics
2010 Census

Total population

1,541,779

Under 13 years old

17%

Over 70 years of age

8.20%

Other than white/non-
Hispanic

45.56%

Below twice the U.S.
poverty level

26.85%

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Ecosystem Services Overview
In EnviroAtlas, the benefits humans receive from nature are
grouped into seven categories that demonstrate the
interconnectedness of these ecosystem services:

•	Clean air

•	Clean and plentiful water

•	Natural hazard mitigation

•	Climate stabilization

•	Recreation, culture, and aesthetics

•	Biodiversity conservation

•	Food, fuel, and materials (data available only for
communities with farm land)

Examples of some of the data included in EnviroAtlas are
detailed below:

Green Space and Trees

Research indicates that physical and visual access to trees
and other green space has positive physiological, cognitive,
and emotional benefits. Lack of these resources in the
places where we live, learn, work, and play can adversely
impact human health and well-being. In the Virginia
Beach/Wi IIiamsburg community area:

•	There are 5,169 square meters of green space per
person.

•	More than 6,300 residents have less than 5 percent tree
coverage within 50 meters of their home.

•	There are 10,016,214 tons of carbon stored in the local
tree biomass, with an additional 381,632 tons
sequestered annually. Carbon in the atmosphere is an
important factor related to climate stabilization.

•	9,161,623 kilograms of the common air pollutant ozone
are removed from the air by local tree biomass every
year.

Stream and Lake Buffers
Natural land cover adjacent to streams and rivers,
sometimes called the riparian area or zone, helps protect
water quality and supply for drinking, recreation, and
aquatic habitat. The EnviroAtlas community component
quantifies riparian vegetation in both 15- and 50-meter
buffers. These reflect water quality and habitat guidelines,
respectively, although standards vary across geographies.

•	An estimated 12 percent of the community land area is
within 50 meters of a stream, river or lake.

•	28 percent of these 50-meter buffers contain less than
20 percent tree cover (red lines in the figure above).

EnviroAtlas Tools and Features

•	Learn more about EnviroAtlas data: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-data

•	Search our data layers and access their fact sheets: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-dvnamic-data-matrix

•	Explore data for the Virginia Beach/Williamsburg community area in our interactive mapping application:
https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/forms/enviroatlas-data-download

•	Use our Eco-Health Relationship Browser to explore ecosystems, the services they provide, and their benefits to human
health and well-being: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-eco-health-relationship-browser

•	Contact us with questions about EnviroAtlas: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/forms/contact-enviroatlas

50 Meter Stream and Lake Buffers in
Virginia Beach/Williamsburg, VA

EnviroAtlas Community Boundary
~

Estimated tree cover in 50m
stream and lake buffer (percent)

—	0-20
21 -40
41-60

- 61-80

—	81-100

EnviroAtlas combines maps, graphs, and other analysis tools, fact sheets, and downloadable data into an easy-to-use, web-based
educational and decision-support tool. EnviroAtlas helps users understand the connections between the benefits we derive from
ecosystem services and the natural resources that provide them. For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/enviroatlas.

March 2018


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