Tuesday, November 14, 2006
194-10

Using SSURGO and Historic Data to Delineate the Drained Kankakee Marsh in Northern Indiana.

Phillip Owens1, F. Vincent Hernly2, Javed Iqbal1, and B.D. Lee1. (1) Purdue Univ, 915 W State, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (2) IUPUI, Dept of Earth Sciences, 723 W Michigan, Indianapolis, IN 46202

The Grand Marsh of Kankakee in Northern Indiana was an expansive wetland which covered approximately 200,000 ha in an area 120 km long and 48 km wide. Around 1900, this marsh was drained for agricultural uses. The objective of this research was to utilize SSURGO and historical data to delineate the marsh boundary prior to drainage. The SSURGO data was grouped into common units based on surface texture and organic carbon content. These grouped data were compared to “rubber sheeted” historical maps to compare the boundaries. The SSURGO data revealed distinct differences between areas, which historical maps highlighted as marsh, when compared to areas out of the marsh. The number of mapping units per ha decreased within the historic marsh area. The SSURGO data proved to be valuable for identifying and estimating the historic marsh boundary.