Type File Geodatabase Feature Class
Digital data are used to identify the mapping unit potential for a variety of uses, such as agriculture drainfield suitability, construction concerns, or development possibility. This material is intended for planning purposes, primarily to protect and conserve agriculturally productive prime agriculture soils in the AR-1 & AR-2 Zoning Districts only. The information in this data set will enable the user to determine the distribution and extent of these prime farmland soils in the AR-1 & AR-2 Zoning Districts. HOW NOT TO USE THIS INFORMATION The information in this guide is NOT intended for use in determining specific use or suitability of soils for a particular site. It is of utmost importance that the reader understand that the information is geared to mapping unit potential and not to specific site suitability. An intensive on-site evaluation should be made to verify the soils map and determine the soil/site suitability for the specific use of a parcel. The original Soil Survey was written for agricultural purposes, but the emphasis has shifted to include urban/suburban uses. The Revised Soil Survey is currently under technical review and is expected to be published by 2006.
ZOAM-2020-0002, Prime Agricultural Soils and Cluster Subdivision was adopted in June 2024, with an effective date of March 12, 2025, resulted in the amendment ordinances and revised regulations to improved cluster developments and use of prime agricultural soils in the Rural AR-1 and AR-2 Zoning Districts of the Rural Policy Area. The design of clustered residential development will be improved by incorporating natural features, protecting and conserving agriculturally productive prime agriculture soils, allowing for equine and rural economy uses, and further implementing the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan with respect to clustered residential development in order to guide all future cluster subdivision applications in the Rural North (AR-1) and Rural South (AR-2) Zoning Districts of the Rural Policy Area.As part of the ZOAM's approval, 15 soil types were identified as Prime Farmland Soils. They include the following soils types; 3A, 13B, 17B, 23B, 28B, 31B, 43B, 45B, 55B, 71B, 76B, 90B, 93B, 94B, 95B. All of these soil types are also currently identified as Prime Soils in the current Interpretive Guide to the use of Soils Maps; Loudoun County, VA, which further describes the soil mapping units within the Loudoun County Soils layer. The Interpretive Guide also identifies 3 other soil types as Prime Farmland Soils (17C, 70B, 70C) but for the purpose of this adopted ZOAM are not considered part of the new Prime Farmland Soils (Cluster Subdivision Option).This map shows, in small scale, a subset of the information contained on the individual detailed soil maps for Loudoun County by identifying the soil types that are considered Prime Farmland Soils (Cluster Subdivision Option). Because of its small scale and general soil descriptions, it is not suitable for planning small areas or specific sites, but it does present a general picture of soils in the County, and can show large areas generally suited to a particular kind of agriculture or other special land use. For more detailed and specific soils information, please refer to the detailed soils maps and other information available from the County Soil Scientist. Digital data consists of mapping units of the various soil types found in Loudoun County, Virginia. The data were collected by digitizing manuscript maps derived from USDA soil maps and supplemented by both field work and geological data. Field work for the soil survey was first conducted between 1947 and 1952. Soils were originally shown at the scale of 1:15840 and then redrafted by the County soil scientist to 1:12000; the data were redrafted a final time to fit Loudoun County's base map standard of 1:2400. Although the current data rely heavily on the original soil survey, there have been extensive field checks and alterations to the soil map based on current soil concepts and land use. The data are updated as field site inspections or interpretation changes occur.
There are no credits for this item.
These data were generated for use by Loudoun County and are available to the public. These data are intended for use at 1:2400 scale or smaller. Acknowledgement of Loudoun County would be appreciated in products derived from this data.
| West | -77.958506 | East | -77.474499 |
| North | 39.322852 | South | 38.930353 |
| Maximum (zoomed in) | 1:2,400 |
| Minimum (zoomed out) | 1:20,000 |
The Interpretive Guide to the Use of Soils Maps; Loudoun County, VA, is available at the Public Information Counter for the Office of Mapping and Geographic Information. It contains more detailed soils information. Data are stored in the corporate ArcSDE Geodatabase as a polygon feature class. The coordinate system is Virginia State Plane (North), Zone 4501, datum NAD83 HARN.
Monday- Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m
These data were generated for use by Loudoun County and are available to the public. These data are intended for use at 1:2400 scale or smaller. Acknowledgement of Loudoun County would be appreciated in products derived from this data.
See access and use constraints information.
Loudoun County
Retention of attribute accuracy throughout the coverage to geodatabase feature class conversion process was ensured by a QA/QC programmatic check. To meet satisfactory QA/QC requirements the input coverage and output feature class must have, on a record by record basis, identical attribution when comparing all concatenated fields to all the user-defined attribution.
Topologically Clean
The soils map is continuously being updated based on field site inspections and therefore the soils map merely represents a point in time. Features may have been eliminated or generalized due to scale and intended use. To assist Loudoun County, Virginia in the maintenance of the data, please provide any information concerning discovered errors, omissions, or other discrepancies found in the data.
Retention of coordinate accuracy throughout the coverage to geodatabase feature class conversion process was ensured by a QA/QC programmatic check. To meet satisfactory QA/QC requirements the input coverage and output feature class must have the same record total, and on a record by record basis, area, perimeter and length differential of less than +/- 0.5%.
The Soil Survey of Loudoun County (field work) was conducted between 1947 and 1952 by soil scientists from Virginia Tech and the USDA Soil Conservation Service. Soils were originally shown on 1938 aerial photography at a scale of 4"= -1 mile; soils were later redrafted to a scale of 1" = 1666' (1:20000) for publication in the USDA's Soil Survey of Loudoun County, Virginia, Series 1951, Number 8, which was issued in September 1960. This publication is out of print, and the supply of copies for public distribution has been exhausted. A revision of the soil survey for Loudoun County has been completed. The manuscript is currently undergoing technical review and publication of the final document is anticipated during the 2006 calendar year.
As part of the County's Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) mapping project, the soil survey maps were redrafted onto the County's base maps, at a scale of 1" = 200', then digitized. This information is available at the Office of Mapping and Geographic Information or through the County soil scientist in the Cooperative Extension Office . Although these updated soil maps rely heavily on the original soil survey, changes in both location of mapping unit lines and mapping unit descriptions/interpretations have occurred.
The soils map is continuously being updated based on field site inspections and therefore the soils map merely represents a point in time. Many new soil series concepts have been developed and the emphasis has changed from primarily agricultural use to include urban uses. This report is geared to mapping unit potential for general uses. Mapping unit potential ratings attempt to describe the broad range of conditions found in any given mapping unit for the noted uses. For more site-specific soil interpretations contact the County Soil Scientist in the Department of Building and Development.
This data set was part of a batch process that converted legacy data from ArcInfo coverage in Librarian to a single-tiled ArcInfo coverage in preparation for a final conversion to ArcSDE Geodatabase Feature Classes. Data were extracted from Librarian using the EXTRACT TOPOLOGICAL command. Multi-tiled data sets were extracted into multiple coverages and then combined based on the feature type(s). Layers with both polygon and arc feature classes were processed with the Arc commands MAPJOIN and DISSOLVE. Arc feature classes alone were processed with the Arc commands, APPEND and DISSOLVE. Layers with both arc and point feature classes and point feature classes alone were processed with the Arc command, APPEND. When used, the arc command, DISSOLVE, was given with the <#all> option. All coverages were then reprojected to HARN83 using the following .prj file specifications: INPUT PROJECTION STATEPLANE UNITS FEET ZONE 5551 DATUM NAD27 NADCON PARAMETERS OUTPUT PROJECTION STATEPLANE UNITS FEET FIPSZONE 4501 DATUM HPGN NADCON PARAMETERS END The dataset was then converted to a feature class in a geodatabase in ArcSDE.
As a result of the adoption of the ZOAM-2020-0002, Prime Agricultural Soils and Cluster Subdivision, the following 15 soil types were identified as Prime Farmland Soils. They include the following soils types; 3A, 13B, 17B, 23B, 28B, 31B, 43B, 45B, 55B, 71B, 76B, 90B, 93B, 94B, 95B. All of these soil types are also currently identified as Prime Soils in the current Interpretive Guide to the use of Soils Maps; Loudoun County, VA, which further describes the soil mapping units within the Loudoun County Soils layer.
ZOAM-2020-0002, Prime Agricultural Soils and Cluster Subdivision
currently under technical review
originated soil mapping units and concepts for agricultural uses in Louodun County
Out of print; copies for cross reference are available at the Library, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Loudoun Dept. of Building & Development and the Loudoun Cooperative Extension Office
publication date
8:00-4:30 EST, M-F
Data can be downloaded at the Loudoun County GeoHUB's Open Data portal at https://geohub-loudoungis.opendata.arcgis.com/ in 4 different data formats
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Soil mapping unit code
Loudoun County
describes grade of land surface or steepness for 2 regions, Eastern & Western Loudoun County
Loudoun County
Source that created or edited feature class
Loudoun County
Feature creation or modification date
Loudoun County
User generated text
Not for public distribution. Internal User ID of editor creating or modifying a feature.
Loudoun County
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Coordinates defining the features.
Length of feature in internal units.
Esri
Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Area of feature in internal units squared.
Esri
Positive real numbers that are automatically generated.
Acregage of soil unit in Zoning District
Loudoun County
SO_SLOPE: Steep Slopes are defined as any Slope Code = D or E (greater than 15%)
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Slope classes in the Blue Ridge (Western Loudoun County) are:
A: 0 - 2% NEARLY LEVEL
B: 2 - 7% GENTLY SLOPING
C: 7 - 15% SLOPING
D: 15 - 25% MODERATELY STEEP
E: 25% + STEEP
Slope classes in the Piedmont (Eastern Loudoun County) are:
A: 0 - 3% NEARLY LEVEL
B: 3 - 8% GENTLY SLOPING
C: 8 - 15% SLOPING
D: 15 - 25% MODERATELY STEEP
E: 25%+ STEEPSO_SOIL: soil mapping unit code - for more detailed information, see the Interpretive Guide to the Use of Soils Maps; Loudoun County, VA
Unit Code - Description - Slope - additional comment
---- --------------------------- ------------ ----------------------------------
3A Comus silt loam, (0-3%) occasional flooding
13B Morven silt loam, (1-8%)
17B Middleburg silt loam, (1-7%)
23B Purcellville silt loam, (2-7%)
28B Eubanks loam, (2-7%)
31B Philomont and Tankerville soils, (2-7%)
43B Myersville-Catoctin Complex, (2-7%
45B Fauquier silt loam, (2-7%)
55B Glenelg silt loam, (2-7%)
71B Panorama silt loam, (3-8%)
76B Sudley-Oatlands complex, (3-8%)
90B Springwood silt loam, (3-8%)
93B Hibler silt loam, (0-5%) rarely flooded
94B Allegheny silt loam, (0-5%) rarely flooded
95B Goresville gravelly silt loam , (0-5%)SO_UPD_SOURCE: Source that created or edited feature class
Source Description
0 Unknown
1 Legacy
2 County
3 ContractMonday- Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m
This metadata reflects the source Geodatabase format and specific elements may not apply if your data is exported to SHP, DXF, or .e00 products. User must be aware that changes to data schema occur during data export that may not be reflected in this metadata, which represents Loudoun County's corporate geodatabase. Acknowledgement of Loudoun County would be appreciated in the use of this metadata.