LANDUSE MODELING IN THE BLACK HILLS FOR RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT

Rapid development in many portions of the Black Hills and surrounding areas has highlighted the need for increased awareness of potential geological and environmental impacts. The need exists to understand and protect surface water, groundwater, and soil resources, as well as to reduce or eliminate risks from slope hazard, subsidence, and flooding. A recent study in Pennington County culminated in a model generating development risk maps. The approach utilized digital maps of geology, topography, soils, soil and rock slope stability, hydrology, aquifer susceptibility and vulnerability, subsidence and solution, and existing roads and development in a Geographic Information System. Many of these input layers were developed through separate and comprehensive thesis or dissertation projects, including the geologic mapping, aquifer susceptibility and vulnerability, hydrology, and slope stability. The GIS model merged them together to produce development rick maps that showed low, moderate, or high development risks. Each category was able to be explored to determine which of the input layers was most responsible for a certain risk rating. Thus, planners and developer are potentially able to determine risk hazards and provide remediation methods prior to development. This tool is being expanded to include additional geologic units and areas to include much of the development regions with the Black Hills area.