The following maps show "Historic Land Use for the year 1971" and "Existing Land Use." The data for the map was derived using Mass G.I.S. Landuse information for 21 Land Use classes which include: Agricultural Land, Forested Land, Wetlands, Open Land, Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Transportation and Water.
A "WATERSHED" is… ...a geographic area of land in which all surface and ground water flows downhill to common point, such as a river, stream, pond, lake, wetland, or estuary.
Water
from falling rain and melting snow generally drains into ditches, streams,
wetlands, lakes, and coastal waters, or seeps into the ground. As water moves
over the land it picks up sediment and dissolved materials and transports
them to lakes, rivers, ponds, streams and coastal bays. Vegetation, leaf litter,
fallen logs, and the naturally uneven terrain of forests and other natural
areas slow down and filter runoff. Water flowing over parking lots and other
developed areas speeds up and can pick up a variety of pollutants en route
to water bodies.
Historic Land Use Map for the year 1971:
- The map data shows the following:
12,192.5 acres of land within the 1/2 mile (each side) buffer of the Upper Taunton River that is the subject of the Wild and Scenic River Study. - 540 acres represented impervious surface in 1971 (which is land that does not allow for natural absorbtion of water, instead, the water will quickly run off surfaces and find destinations other than the watershed areas that support the natural ecosystems in the area. Examples of impervious surfaces are parking lots, residential homes and commercial buildings. The lower the amount of imperviousness, the healthier the watershed, and the more able the land is to replenish our supply of water.
- This represents 4.4% of land that is impervious of all land analyzed within the buffer.
Existing Land Use Map:
- The map data shows the following:
12,192.5 acres of land with the 1/2 mile (each side) buffer of the Upper Taunton River that is the subject of the Wild and Scenic River Study. - 870.5 acres represent impervious surfaces.
- This represents 7.1% of land that is impervious of all land analyzed within the buffer.
What does this mean?
Over a period of 32 years, the percent of imperviousness has increased 62%!
The (former)Mass Watershed Initiative Homepage and SRPEDD
for the Land Use Maps.
