Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District is undertaking a potential wetlands mapping project for Franklin County, Ohio. The intent of the project is to identify sites within Franklin County that have the characteristics of a wetland, and as such, designate them as “Wetland Potential Areas”. While many of the areas identified are likely to be field-verified wetlands, the intent of this project is not to field verify the actual presence of wetlands, but to develop a guide for use in identifying previously unmapped wetlands.
Previous studies of similar intent contain data too coarse to be utilized by local municipalities and interested groups. Federal and State mandates specify 1/4 acre in size or larger for wetland determinations, but the existing wetland data sets do not have a sufficient resolution to accommodate this scale of work. Through better mapping and local policies that complement existing federal and state mandates, we can improve the ability to identify and protect wetlands prior to development on remaining undeveloped lands in the county and better select sites for restoration and mitigation projects.
Upon completion of the study, it is expected that the mapping provided will be directly usable by local agencies and municipalities for a variety of review and planning processes. It is hopeful that the mapping produced will also serve as a foundation for future studies and projects including, but not limited to: watershed planning, wetland research, restoration and mitigation efforts, water quality and flood protection studies, vernal pool identification, and carbon sequestration projects.
This study is utilizing desktop Geographic Information System software for data layer preparation and analysis. The format of this study will be a suitability model utilizing spatial analyst, a software extension developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) for use with their desktop software.