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Rivanna Land Cover Map

In order to better understand the contribution of storm flow to Rivanna streams from different land covers (i.e., forested, open, impervious), the Commission has invested along with local partners in the production of a high-resolution map of the Rivanna watershed that will help scientists determine how land cover influences the hydrology of the Rivanna.

The Rivanna Land Cover Map will be derived from 2009 Virginia aerial imagery (1-meter resolution) and will categorize land cover in thee categories: deciduous forest, evergreen forest, harvested forest, open land, water, impervious (rooftops, sideways, driveways, roads), bare earth. The process for developing this map will be reproducible so that subsequent maps can be developed in successive years.

The format will be Arc-GIS shape-file and the map will be made available to the public online. Land use, environmental, and planning staff of the Rivanna watershed jurisdictions will be able to use this map to evaluate actual land cover to a high degree of detail in areas of specific interest, such as stream buffers, critical slopes, and potential conservation easements. Planners may use the map to evaluate potential sites with respect to placement of greenways, parks, and schools. The map will be useful for assessing biodiversity and will be a source of data for more studies that correlate land use with stream health and for models that correlate land cover, hydrology, and the hydraulics of area streams.

In addition to the Rivanna watershed, the map includes those portions of Albemarle, Fluvanna, and Greene outside of the Rivanna watershed.

Land Cover Map Funding Partners:
Rivanna River Basin Commission
StreamWatch
The Nature Conservancy in Virginia
Albemarle County
Fluvanna County
Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation

© Copyright 2009 Rivanna River Basin Commission