Criteria 1--The Environment

Four criteria were researched, analyzed, and mapped:

Environmental Impact.  By using a topographic map and downloading shapefiles from the National Wetlands Inventory, I plotted all sensitive environmental areas on my map. I added all required shapefiles and created a 400ft buffer around the preferred corridor. The Study Area and Preferred Corridor feature classes were the base from which all other maps were produced.

Once all the feature classes were populated on the map, I was then able to utilize GIS tools to determine the number of areas and acres impacted by the corridor. The requirements and goal of the study was to protect wetlands, route the corridor through disturbed land, and sustain the aesthetics of the area.

Throughout my project, I retained consistent symbology to avoid confusion. I also color coded the map borders to categorize them based on criteria.

Macro View of Environmental Map

This is one of many environmental maps and graphs produced to demonstrate the
impact of the transmission line on the environment.