FAYETTE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION

Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District is pleased to announce that a new digitized soil survey of Fayette County that allows for easy access to information about soils and other natural and cultural resources is now available on compact disc. The CD’s user-friendly Geographic Information Systems software is compatible with most home or office computers.
           The program, which will be particularly useful to farmers and developers, opens with a map of Fayette County. Users can simply click on the data they would like to see, including aerial photography, roads, towns, slopes, drainage, soil types, and crop yields. The program then redraws the map with the selected information.
          This CD replaces the out of print paper soil survey that has been used for decades. It is a land-use planning tool so development and farming can be done in a way that is environmentally responsible.
         Fayette County’s soil digitizing project is part of a nationwide Soil Survey Geographic Database Initiative managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The service, The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are cooperating on the project with help from the Ohio Department of Transportation, U.S. Forest Service, county soil & water conservation districts, and other local agencies. Soil survey information will soon be available in the same format for all 88 Ohio counties. So far this information is available for 84 counties.
        Fayette County’s computerized soil survey information is certified. Related information is accessible online at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov. The CD is available through the Fayette County Soil & Water Conservation District at 740-636-0279.