Abstract
Big Creek Lake is the primary water supply for Mobile, Alabama. Management of the watershed is important because nonpoint source (NPS) pollution can introduce contaminants into the lake. After the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) expressed a need for a land suitability assessment to aid in mitigating NPS pollution in the watershed, we worked to assist them in mapping potential sources of NPS pollution there. First, we created a system for rating the relative contributions of various land cover and soil types to NPS pollution in the watershed. Then, we utilized land use/land cover information generated from ASTER satellite imagery along with GIS soil erodibility/organic content data to perform ordinal combinations and derive relative NPS pollution risk maps. The final map indicated that the majority of the watershed has low potential for NPS pollution, but several areas (predominantly agriculture and urban) have much higher potential and should receive priority for mitigation.
Recommended Citation
Allain, Marco and Jones, Jason
(2013)
"Nonpoint Source Pollution Risk Mapping for Alabama’s Big Creek Lake,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 54:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol54/iss1/1