Soils Data Description
Restoration Planning: Soils data are essential to
design of restoration & remediation projects. In addition, erosion
risk, reclamation ease, runoff potential (surface contamination risk),
groundwater contamination risk (CEC, permeability, depth to saturated
soils), are all key to prioritizing restoration projects. Hydric soils
will help with wetland delineation.
Data Description: The USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service maintains a number of soils databases (including
SSURGO and NASIS). The available soils data likely to be of greatest use
in watershed analysis and planning is at the 1:24000 scale and is
available through NRIS along with an ArcView extension called the Soils
Data Viewer. This software interprets soils data and presents the
interpretations in reports and maps. Currently, the user must download the
soils data and the Soil Data Viewer and run the interpretations (hardware
requirements are explained at the web site). Eventually, some of the maps
of interpreted soils data will appear on NRIS's online
mapper.
Location of sample sites/areas assessed: The map
of counties with completed digitized soils data can be seen on the website
below. In the upper Clark Fork basin, soils data are available for
Missoula, Powell, and Granite counties.
Nature of location
information in database: The data are georeferenced and are in the
state projection used by NRIS.
Time frame: The soils databases
SSURGO and NASIS are still under development and will be maintained by
NRCS.
Parameters measured & methods used: Soil data and
interpretations particularly key to watershed analysis and restoration
planning include: erodibility factors, slope, available water capacity,
percent clay, percent organic matter, bulk density, hydraulic
conductivity, sodium absorption ratio, cation exchange capacity, pH, frost
free days, septic system suitability, flood frequency, depth to saturated
soil, hydric soils, erosion hazard, reclamation ease, permeability, runoff
potential, depth to soil restriction for buildings. Many more parameters
are available. See relevant references for information on methods,
etc.
Quality of data: Data collected by soils
professionals using standard soils methods; suitable for use in
management.
Relevant references: NASIS info and user's guides at
http://nasis.nrcs.usda.gov/
SSURGO user's guide at http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/ssur_data.html
Soil Data Viewer user's guide at http://www.itc.nrcs.usda.gov/soildataviewer/user_guides.htm
Responsible
party contact:
At NRIS, contact: Duane
Anderson
Natural Resource Information System, Montana
State Library.
1515 E. 6th Avenue, Helena, MT,
59620-1800 406-444-5356.
At NRCS:
Tom Potter, 406-
587-6968
Website: /nrcs/soils
[back to
Soils page]
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