Suitablility for Solid-Waste Disposal in the Lorain 30 x 60-Minute Quadrangle

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Geological Survey has completed a reconnaissance map showing areas suitable for solid waste disposal in the Lorain, Ohio, 30 x 50-minute (1:1,100,000-scale) quadrangle. The main purpose of this map is to provide a reconnaissance level map that shows the relative suitability of various surficial materials for the disposal or containment of solid waste in this quadrangle. Our goal was to create this map from existing ODNR Division of Geological Survey maps and GIS datasets as much as possible. Consequently, the Lorain map is a derivative map based directly from the ODNR Division of Geological Survey SG-2 Series map, Surficial Geology of the Lorain and Put-in-Bay 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangles (Pavey and others, 2005). The SG-2 series features maps based upon polygons that represent a “stack” of mapped unit lithologies and thicknesses. These maps show surficial materials in increments of 10 feet within each polygon across the study area. A set of queries were run in ESRI ArcGIS to determine the range of thickness and nature of the sediments.The main premise of this map is to specify areas of thick, fine-grained glacial till and glaciolacustrine silt and clay deposits for solid-waste disposal and containment. A minimum of 30 feet of fine-grained material was deemed necessary for waste disposal for areas where the drift overlies shale; siltstone; or interbedded, shaley limestone. If the fine-grained material was directly overlying an aquifer, the minimum required thickness was increased to 50 feet. Aquifers included sand and gravel, sandstone, limestone, and dolomite. Areas with over 20 feet of sand and gravel or sand at the surface (e.g., kames, beach ridges) were excluded as were areas with alluvium (active streams) and organic deposits at the land surface. The main factor in the decision-making process was to have adequate fine-grained materials overlying the aquifers.

United States Geological Survey, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition