Rappahannock River Basin Atlas & GIS Database
Purpose
To develop an information database and map themes for the entire
Rappahannock River Basin area to be used for wate
rshed planning and
educational purposes. The Atlas and Database will be available
for use
by the Rappahannock River Basin Study Commission, government agencies,
private organizations, and the public.
Background
The Rappahannock River Basin Atlas and GIS Database Project is a cooperative effort of the four Planning District Commissions encompassing the majority of area in the Rappahannock River watershed. The project received funding through the 1996 Rappahannock River Basin Grants, allocated through the Virginia General Assembly and managed through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission implemented the project with assistance from the Northern Neck Planning District Commission, the Rappahannock - Rapidan Planning District Commission and the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) Planning District Commission.
Each of the Planning District Commissions (PDCs) enlisted the assistance of their member localities in the collection of data and mapping to be incorporated into the atlas and database. Localities appointed members to a Project Advisory Committee and assigned staff contacts to the project. The Advisory Committee reviewed the progress of the project and provided suggestions on final design and content.
Availability
The Atlas map product will be made available to each local government, PDC, and Soil and Water Conservation District in the Rappahannock River watershed. Other organizations will also be sent a copy as listed on a Distribution List approved by the Project Advisory Committee. 50 copies of the atlas were printed. The GIS Database will be distributed on Compact Disc- Recordable (CD-R), and distributed in the same manner as the hardcopy atlas. Additional copies of the GIS Database may be made available based on demand. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Description
- Land Use
-
Population
- Wetlands
- 100 Year Flood Plain
-
Onsite Septic Suitability
-
Prime Agricultural Soils
-
VPDES Permit Locations
-
Federal and State Lands
- Acknowledgements
Index of Maps
- Watershed Base Map
- Landuse
- Population Density
- Wetlands
- Floodplain
- Onsite Septic Suitability
- Prime Agricultural Soils
- VPDES Permit Locations
- Federal and State Lands
The Rappahannock River Basin or Watershed includes the land and water drainage area that flows to the Rappahannock River. The area of the watershed is approximately 2715 square miles, and includes the counties of Albemarle, Caroline, Essex, Fauquier, Greene, King George, Lancaster, Madison, Middlesex, Northumberland, Orange, Rappahannock, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland. The City of Fredericksburg and several towns also share the watershed.
The waterway begins as streams flowing from the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge mountains. The southern streams form the Rapidan River, while the Rappahannock River forms in the northern localities of the watershed. The Rapidan meets the Rappahannock just west of Fredericksburg, where Culpeper, Stafford, and Spotsylvania counties share borders. The river at Fredericksburg travels through the fall line geologic formation, characterized by rocks and rapids. East of Frederickburg, the Rappahannock enters the coastal province of the state, where the waters receive tidal influences from the Chesapeake Bay. The river continues to widen and becomes increasingly brackish as it flows east toward Stingray Point and Windmill Point where it meets the Bay.
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Landuse Characteristics
The vast majority of the land area within the basin is in rural and
conservation uses. These rural uses can include forestry, farming, low
density residential, and small pockets of mixed uses. The areas around
the City of Fredericksburg, and around several of the towns include
various residential uses, along with commercial, industrial, and other
mixed uses. A large land area in Caroline County contains the Fort A. P.
Hill military base.
The following lists the locality and the percent of each landuse of the locality within the Rappahannock River Basin:
| Locality | %Rural | %Residential | %Mixed | %Commercial | %Industrial | %Conservation | %Military |
| Albemarle | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caroline | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| Culpeper | 88 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Essex | 95 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fauquier | 87 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Fredericksburg | 0 | 64 | 0 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| Greene | 53 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 0 |
| King George | 92 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Lancaster | 45 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Madison | 66 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Middlesex | 15 | 77 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northumberland | 99 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Orange | 81 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rappahannock | 56 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Richmond | 96 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spotsylvania | 0 | 89 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Stafford | 56 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Westmoreland | 91 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The population densities shown on the following map were derived from the 1990 U. S. Census, and were analyzed by Block Group. The map shows that higher population densities are centered around the Town of Culpeper, the City of Fredericksburg, and near the mouth of the river along the shorelines of Lancaster and Middlesex Counties. Note that since Census Block Groups do not necessarily follow the basin delineation, population counts along the watershed boundary may include persons located outside the watershed.
The following lists the locality and the estimated number of persons in the locality located within the Rappahannock River Basin:
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The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) is a project of the U. S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. The wetlands delineations shown on the following
page are the digitally available NWI plus four 7.5 minute quad based NWI
hardcopy sheets that were digitized. The areas where no wetlands are
shown do not have the inventory in a digital format. The NWI is in the
process of being updated and converted to digital format.
The following table of wetlands areas by locality in the basin includes notation where data is not available or only partially covers the locality.
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The data source for the 100 Year Floodplain is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Q3 digital data and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
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The determination of suitable soils for onsite septic drainfield absorption systems is determined by soil tests at the site conducted by the Health Department or other soil scientists. The suitability map on the following page provides a general indication of the suitability for onsite absorption systems based on soil type. Soil surveys usually list in a table the limitations one might expect for a particular soil type. These limitations are noted as " None", "Moderate" or "Severe", which correspond to the "Suitable", "Limited", and "Unsuitable" categories found on the map legend. The soil survey tables are based on high water table and permeability. It should be noted that due to the year that a particular soil survey was completed, the soil suitability indices may no longer be current. To account for this, the project utilized the latest soil type indices available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service rates soil types as to
their quality for agricultural production. It is well known that the
Rappahannock River basin contains many acres of quality farm land. The
map shows those soil types regarded as "Prime" for crop production.
The following is a table of prime agricultural soils areas in the basin by locality:
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The Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) program is managed by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Permits are issued to wastewater dischargers setting effluent limits and monitoring and reporting requirements. The following list corresponds to the location numbers found on the map:
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| Albemarle: | NONE | |
| Caroline: | FT A.P. HILL MIL RES | |
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| Culpeper: | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | |
| DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| US MIL RES - WARRENTON TR.CTR. | ||
| NORTHERN REGION CORRECTIONS FIELD UNITS | ||
| FREDERICKSBURG- SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK | ||
| Essex : | DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY | |
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| Fauquier: | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | |
| US MIL RES - WARRENTON TR CTR | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY | ||
| DEPT. OF AGRICULTURA & CONSUMER SERVICES | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| Fredericksburg: | MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE | |
| FREDERICKSBURG- SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| NATIONAL CEMETERY | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS | ||
| ALUM SPRING PARK | ||
| Greene: | SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK | |
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| King George: | DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | |
| Lancaster: | BELLE ISLE STATE PARK | |
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY | ||
| Madison: | SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK | |
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| Middlesex: | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | |
| Northumberland: | NONE | |
| Orange: | GERMANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE | |
| FREDERICKSBURG- SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| Rappahannock: | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | |
| Spotsylvania: | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | |
| FREDERICKSBURG- SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES | ||
| Stafford: | MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE | |
| DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | ||
| FREDERICKSBURG- SPOTSYLVANIA NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK | ||
| DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES | ||
| Westmoreland: | NONE | |
The Rappahannock River Basin Atlas and GIS Database was funded through a Rappahannock River Basin Grant of $45,000 managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The project involved numerous agencies and individuals. The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission wishes to thank those listed below and the many others not listed, for making this project successful.
Rappahannock River Basin Study Commission: R. Edward Houck, Senate of Virginia; Eldon James
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation: Moira Croghan, Diane McCarthy, Karl Huber
Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission: Dan Kavanagh, Jim Uzel, Chris Clarke, Natalie Clevenger, Robert Allen
Northern Neck Planning District Commission: Stuart McKenzie, Julie Morris
RADCO Planning District Commission: Stephen Manster, Danielle Deamer
Rappahannock - Rapidan Planning District Commission: Gary Christi, Amy Garber
Advisory Committee Members: James Moore - Essex; Tim Wilson - Middlesex; Patrick Frere - Lancaster; William Duncanson - Richmond; Robert Whitman - Westmoreland; Jack Greene - King George; Bill Shelly - Stafford; Andrea Hornung - Caroline; Bob Rike - Spotsylvania; Jervis Hairston - Fredericksburg; Debbie Kendall - Orange; Julius Morris - Greene; Steve Utz - Madison; John Egertson - Culpeper; John McCarthy - Rappahannock; Lori Hertig - Fauquier.
Virginia Economic Development Partnership: Jean Tingler, Lowell Ballard
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality: Martin Ferguson, Dale Phillips
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Bruce Dewby, Bruce Stoneman
Project Manager: Jim Uzel - Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission
Consulting Graphics Artist: Lee A. Brammer - Quinton, VA
