Name: ___________________________________ Section: __________

ENVR 1401 – Lab 9 Exercise

Project Planning / Environmental Assessment

Lab Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the importance of environmental assessment when planning a project
• Develop a case study evaluating a project from an environmental assessment perspective

Environmental Assessment is a study to identify environmental impacts of a land development action

and analyzes a broad set of parameters including biodiversity and endangered or threatened species,
environmental noise, water pollution, air pollution, traffic, geotechnical risks such as unstable slopes or
earthquake hazards, visual impacts, public safety issues and also hazardous substance issues. The
potential for hazardous substances resulting from past land use both on the site or nearby must also be
considered. Concerns typically focus on petroleum hydrocarbons (various fuels and oils), heavy metals,
pesticides, solvents, asbestos and mold. An on-site visit is usually conducted to visually examine the site
for evidence of present conditions (e.g., chemical spill residue, die-back of vegetation), hazardous
substances or petroleum products usage (presence of above ground or underground storage tanks, storage
of acids or other chemicals) that would aid in evaluating any likely environmental hazard.

PART I: BACKGROUND

Directions: Carefully read each question. To answer questions 1-4, use only the information provided in
this exercise and the course materials - Lab 9 Background and instructor’s pre-lab lecture PowerPoint
- provided on Canvas and on your lab table. For questions 5 – 16, use only the resources provided or
websites specifically listed in those questions. Note: Some questions have multiple parts to answer. Be
sure to answer each question fully using complete sentences where noted.

1. In your own words, explain project planning (what is it and what is the purpose). Write in complete
sentences.

2. List five potential environmental concerns when considering the environment in project planning.
Write in complete sentences.

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3. In your own words, explain why each of the following is useful in project planning. Write in complete
sentences.

Aerial photographs:

Surficial geologic maps:

Wetlands inventories:

Soil surveys:

Topographic maps:

4. In your own words, explain why it is important to consider the potential for environmental impacts
from adjacent properties from both a current use and an historical perspective. Write in complete
sentences.

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PART II: PROJECT PLANNING / SITE ASSESSMENT

YOUR TASK:
• Using a location (Subject Property) provided by your instructor on the available 7.5- minute
topographic map, do a site assessment for the location’s suitability for a multi-use park. A multi-
use park can mean different things. Would this park be a good place for construction-intensive
amenities such as tennis courts, soccer fields or basketball courts? Would it be suitable for hike and
bike trails or Frisbee golf or as an equestrian park? In order to make an informed judgement on the
site’s suitability as a park, you will need to determine site characteristics along with the
characteristics of surrounding properties.
• There are many questions you might ask yourself:
a) Is there any evidence of concern about contamination on your site or neighboring sites? For
example, are there stains on the soil that look like a spill of some kind when you look at aerial
photographs, or is there evidence of things like old gas stations that might have leaking
underground storage tanks?
b) Are there wetlands, floodplains, or other fragile ecosystems in the area that we are required
by law to protect?
c) We can probably build almost anywhere with enough money, but certain types of soils can be
a problem because of shrink/swell characteristics and we might have to excavate them and
replace them with other soils. Some land may also be within a floodplain, limiting what can
be built there.
d) Zoning can be a problem, we can try to get zoning changed, but we would like the zoning of
the land to fit our intended land use. In general land zoned agricultural or open space is also
allowed to function as parkland.
e) As far as zoning is concerned, we may also want to look at adjacent land, are there residential
areas that could support the intended use, or are we surrounded by heavy industrial areas that
could be a source of contamination for our property or make it less attractive for parkland?

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Topographic Maps are published by the U.S. Geologic Survey and are available at a variety of scales for
most areas of the country. For land use planning, the most commonly used scale is the 7.5-minute
topographic quadrangle (1:24000 or 1 inch = 24,000 inches = 2,000 feet). Topographic maps are
necessary to calculate slope, delineate watersheds, determine drainage patterns, and assess solar aspect for
sunlight exposure. Natural features such as streams, lakes, and vegetated areas are indicated and may be
named. Cultural features such as roads, boundaries, transmission lines and buildings are delineated.

5. Using the topo map contour lines for reference, what is the highest point (elevation) and what is the
lowest point on your Subject Property?

Highest _______________ Lowest ______________

6. Using the highest and lowest elevations from the previous questions, what is the rise of the property?
Show all your math calculations.

7. Measure the length of the property (down the middle from north to south). What is the approximate
length of the property (the run) in feet?

8. Using the rise and the run calculated in the previous questions, calculate the approximate percent
slope for your Subject Property. Show all your math calculations.

9. What is the most likely direction of surface runoff (steepest downslope) on your subject property?

10. What is the nearest river, creek, or stream to your Subject Property?

11. Using the topo map scale, calculate the approximate area (in square feet) of your Subject Property
(assume the property is a rectangle). Then convert the square footage to acres (1 acre = 43,560 sq.ft.)

Square feet _________________________ Acres ______________________

Show all your math calculations:

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Aerial Photographs can be used to identify cultural and geologic characteristics of a location. Of
particular value are older images that may provide documentation of historic activities or uses of the land.

12. Use the Google Earth Pro software (there is a shortcut on the desktop) to fill in the table below
describing the property and surrounding area today and in 2009 and 1995. Also, look at the aerial map on
the lab table for reference. Focus on changes in vegetation, urban development, etc.

Note: In Google Earth, type in the address provided by your instructor. Then, click Search. This will
place you close enough to the subject property to identify it. The Subject Property is slightly west of the
house. Use the aerial map on the lab table for reference. To look at older year aerials, click on the “1995”
button located at the bottom of the Google Earth screen, then use the pop-up slider bar near the top to
scroll through years.

Aerial Subject Property Characteristics Surrounding Property Characteristics

Photograph
Google Earth
Most current
image

Google Earth
Date: 2009

Google Earth
Date: 1995
*Aerial photo is
grey.

13. Google Earth Pro also has the ability to measure. Click on the icon of the ruler . Then, click on
the Polygon tab to measure the approximate area of the subject property. Click at each corner of the
Subject Property to draw your rectangle. Wilson Creek is slightly south of the dirt road in the trees.

What is the area (in acres) as measured using Google Earth Pro?

What did you estimate the area (in acres) to be using the topo map in question 11?

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Soil Surveys prepared and published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) provides information in the form of soil maps and data for almost all
counties in the nation. Soil surveys include a general soil map, along with descriptions of the soils, and
information on the use and management of the soils.

14. Use the following link to the USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey Map (or Google “Web Soil Survey”)
http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm to answer questions a – g.

1. Once on the soils survey page, click on the green “Start WSS” button.
2. Under the Quick Navigation menu, click on address and insert property address provided by your
instructor. Remember, this address is slightly east of the Subject Property.
3. On the aerial map shown on the screen, click on the “hand” pan icon and move the map until
the entire subject property can be seen.
4. Click on the Define AOI by Polygon icon and use it to outline the subject property on the aerial
map by clicking on each corner of the property. Once outlined, double click in the last corner of the
property to close the polygon. Note: AOI means area of interest.
5. Once the AOI has been defined, click on the “soil map” tab near the top of the page. This should
show you a map of the subject property with the different soils mapped out. You can click on any
of the “Map Unit Name” descriptions under the Map Unit Legend on the left side of the page for
detailed information about each soil type.

a. Looking at the Map Unit Legend, what are the soil types (Map Unit Name) on the Subject Property?

b. Looking at the Percent of AOI in the Map Unit Legend, which soil type makes up the largest
proportion of the subject property?

Click on the Map Unit Name of the soil type answered in b. Then, use the Report – Map Unit
Description to answer questions c - e.

c. What is the soil depth (depth to restrictive feature under Properties and qualities)?

d. What is the underlying bedrock (Parent material under Setting):

e. Is there a potential for flooding: yes or no?

f. Which soil type is found along the southern section of the property (adjacent to Wilson Creek)?

g. What is the potential or frequency of flooding for this soil type?

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15. Use the following link for the City of McKinney Planning Agency Web Mapping Tools
https://www.mckinneytexas.org/245/Planning to determine the current zoning for the subject
property and adjacent properties to answer a – c.

1. Scroll down to the Interactive Planning Maps section and click on Planning Resources.
2. Once in the map, type in the address in the “Find address or place” search bar. Use the address
provided by your instructor.
3. Click on the Layer List icon located on the upper right of the map. When Layer List opens,
check the box titled “Aerials” to pull up the aerial photo layer.
4. Locate the subject property. You may need to move the map to the west to find it.
5. On the layer list, check the “Planning Layers” box and the “Zoning” box in the pull-down menu.
6. The zoning legend can be seen by clicking the legend icon found beside the Layer List icon
in the top right. Note: Parklands are also zoned for agriculture.

a. What is the zoning for the subject property?

b. Is the current zoning acceptable for the property’s use as a park?

c. What is the zoning for the adjacent properties?

16. Briefly summarize your assessment and the suitability and concerns involving the site for park
development. Do you think the site is well suited as a park? Be sure to include topographic
characteristics, implications of soil conditions, implications of zoning, and any possible environmental
impacts on your Subject Property as a result of historical and present land-use on the Subject Property
as well as the surrounding properties. Write in complete sentences.

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