Cook County is one of the last areas in the country that will undergo a comprehensive survey of its soil, and on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the Cook County board authorized an agreement with the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to conduct a soil survey on all non-federal land in the county. It will help answer questions regarding things such as where gravel is available for excavation, the percentage of sand and clay in the soil, suitable septic disposal sites, and where in Cook County topsoil can be found.
Thesurvey, to be conducted by soil scientists hired by the county, will get Cook County up to speed with soil surveys that have been conducted on over 95% of U.S. soil. TheNational Cooperative Soil Survey is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which, according to the NRCS website, “provides access to the largest natural resource information system in the world.”
Cook County will be reimbursed $53,000 by BWSR to do the groundwork on 42,240 acres of land. Samples will be collected by June 30, 2011, although according to County Auditor- Treasurer Braidy Powers, the study, which will include analysis of the soil and reporting of the findings, is likely to take a total of five years.
Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District Technician Tristan Beaster said crews may begin as early as the end of May. Surveys of private land will require permission from landowners.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is gathering the data for use in development of building sites, identification of construction materials, disaster recovery planning, land classification, land management, recreational development, sanitary facility planning, calculation of vegetative productivity, waste management, and research on soil features such as physical properties, chemical makeup, and erosion factors.
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