Flood Plains and Soils of Scotts Run

 FloodPlains:

    I am covering the entire watershed but wanted to put some importance on the the area around Scotts Run Nature Preserve. This is where all the tributaries of Scotts Run discharge into the Potomac River. It is also the area with the least amount of flood risk. All data was explored on the online floodplain viewer tool made by ArcGIS and supported by public data of Fairfax County. Data is also compared to the adjacent watersheds.


Key Layers Included:

  • USGS and Massey Floodplain Study Panels
  • 70ac Stream Network
  • Watershed Management Plan 100yr Floodplain
  • Recorded Flood Plains
  • FEMA Flood Hazard Areas
  • Resource Protection Areas
  • Perennial Streams
  • Parcels
  • Watersheds
    Since the watershed is in a heavily urban region, many of the flood plains are adjacent to larger impervious areas and the surrounding riparian zones near tributaries of Scotts Run and the Potomac River (FEMA, 2021). FEMA flood plains are identified by the Purple and Turquoise areas. Resource Protection Areas are the polygons with green boundaries while the Perennial Streams are labeled with red lines. USDA floodplain study panels are the gray boxes. Down in the Scotts Run Nature Preserve there is less of a risk of flooding due to the protection of native wetlands, riparian areas, and palustrine forests. Compared to Bull Neck Run and Dead Run, there is actually a slighter higher risk of flooding in the watershed. The highest risk of flooding follows along the Capital Beltway.

Soil Data:
    Soil types in Fairfax County are identified by alpha-numeric symbols on the soil survey map. For example, a common soil type in Fairfax County is 39B. The number represents the soil type - 39 identifies the soil type as Glenelg silt loam. The letter represents the landscape slope class - B indicates slopes of 2-7 percent (Fairfax County, 2011). Near the center of Scotts Run Nature Preserve (Red Marker), soils are labeled as a 39D. This again means the soil is a Glenelg silt loam but the percent slope is not between 15 and 25 percent compared to 39B.


Resources:

FEMA. 2020. Flood Zones. Available at: https://www.fema.gov/glossary/flood-zones.


FEMA. 2021. National Flood Hazard Layer. Available at: https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/national-flood-hazard-layer.


arcgis. (2022, November 4). Floodplain Viewer - Fairfax County. Arcgis.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022, from https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c62ab5b0d13a49c990480e456e70e45f 

USDA. 2019. Web Soil Survey. Available at: https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm.


Fairfax County. (2011). Soils Information. Fairfax County Virginia. Retrieved December 11, 2022, from https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/soils-info 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Final Organization of Presentation on Scotts Run Watershed

Image
 All information on the Scotts Run Watershed can be found on the link directly to the blog. scottsrunwatershedfairfaxva.blogspot.com   There is no direct order that the information needs to be read in. The blog will be open for the foreseeable future and can be shared in other courses and students. All products shall be in the presentation by December 12th, 2022. If more information on Scotts Run Watershed or access is denied to the slides or blog please reach out to me by email: trevorm22@vt.edu THE ENTIRE BLOG IS MY FINAL PRODUCT
Read more

Scotts Run Watershed Special Characteristics and Middle Potomac Watershed

Image
Scotts Run Watershed Special Characteristics A Middle Potomac Watershed General Information: Located in the North East portion of Fairfax County Virginia. Area of 3,860 acres that is divided into an upper and lower sub-watershed. Upper: 1,982 acres Lower: 1,353 acres. Around 525 acres that drains directly into the Potomac River. Between 30-35% in impervious surface. It is one of the 5 watersheds that make up the Middle Potomac Watersheds . Bull Neck Run, Dead Run, Scotts Run, Turkey Run and Pimmit Run. Multiple restoration projects to improve stormwater management and to restore and reinforce the several named and unnamed tributaries that dump into the Potomac River. Headwaters begin at an outfall structure of a stormwater drain system.  Travels mostly north through Scotts Run Stream Valley Park, Westgate Park, Timberly Park, and Scotts Run Nature Preserve, where it discharges into the Potomac River. Over 52 Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the watershed to help manage stormwater. T
Read more