Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) and Historical Change Sub-Projects

 

Luke Marzen and Charlene LeBleu

 

Land use has a substantial impact on the quality and quantity of water in the Tallapoosa River basin.  One research team working on the Tallapoosa Watershed Project grant is looking at land use past and present to help predict—and possibly protect—the watershed in the future.

 

One part of the project focuses on gathering historical information about land use by mining statistics collected through aerial and satellite imagery, parcel data, and other public records.  These existing data will be used to develop a broad historical picture of the watershed’s land use trends, which aid in forecasting future land use.

 

In addition, the team is focusing on specific sites that provide case studies on how low-impact development strategies affect water resources.  For this part of the study, researchers are working at four sites in the Tallapoosa River basin—in Loachapoka, Tallassee, Lafayette, and Auburn—where they are demonstrating low-impact development practices and monitoring the effects of these practices on the quality and quantity of water in the basin.

 

Using this information, the team will evaluate possible scenarios of how changes in land use might affect best management practices.   Land use information and predictive models done by this team will then be used by another TWP team that is developing models to predict how future land use will affect water resources.  

 

Eventually this can help landowners, developers, and city officials better manage urban growth and protect water resources.

 

In addition to the research, this team is also developing outreach tools, such as a “Tool Box” that can be used by municipal planners to adopt low-impact development strategies for their communities.