Tuesday, November 14, 2006 - 8:50 AM
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The Reason and Technique for High Intensity Soil Mapping for Development in North Carolina.

James Beeson, Soil & Environmental Consultants, PA, 5401 Tacker Dairy Rd, Greensboro, NC 27406

The demand for housing in North Carolina, and other parts of the country, have pushed development beyond established sewer districts.  This development is dependant on on-site, land-based waste disposal systems to dispose of the generated sewage.  The monetary value of residential and commercial lots has caused developers to seek methods for development that generate high yields of sites or lots.  The regulations that govern waste water disposal do not tolerate inclusions of areas that do not meet the minimum standards as set within those rules for soils and or landscape positions.  Combining development pressure and the need for identifying all areas that meet the regulatory minimum criteria, a need for high intensity soil mapping has been created.    As a consulting firm dealing with soil/site assessment we have developed a comprehensive protocol for high intensity mapping over the past 20 years.  The objective of this protocol, which combines GIS technology with established mapping methods, is to maximize the lot yield and minimize the time required to obtain the required permits for each lot.  By having a well defined high intensity soil mapping protocol, and an understanding of landscape scale, we have been able to successfully train a relatively large number of soil scientists at our firm to conduct soil/site assessments for development.