The New York City Soil Survey Olga Vargas, USDA-NRCS Soil Scientist May 2018 New York City Soil Survey Program Since 1995

A partnership was established between: – NRCS – NYC-SWCD – Cornell University

To address the complexities of urban needs with a multi-faceted soil survey program.

The NYC Soil Survey Program a) Soil mapping & survey-related studies/special projects b) Onsite Investigations c) Soils training, workshops, lectures, conferences; outreach d) Volunteer & internship opportunities

NYC Survey Methods: Differentiating Criteria “Native” Soils in NDM Naturally deposited materials (by ice, water, wind, etc.)

Soils in HA-HTM Human-altered or human-transported mat’ls (fill)

Miscellaneous Areas Urban land (sealed soils) Also Beaches, Rock outcrop, Dune land, etc.

Soil series: similar parent material, 1:12,000 field sheet particle size & drainage class, sequence of horizons. We also differentiated HA-HTM soils by artifact type & content, and thickness of fill. NYC Survey Methods: Inputs

Spatial data • Topo maps & DEMs • Geologic maps

Remote imagery • Aerial photos Stereoscope & aerial photography

Field observations Geologic maps

USGS NYC Folio; Merrill et al., 1902 Guide to parent material, substratum type

USGS national Geologic Map Dataset (PDF, GeoTiff, JPG, KMZ) https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_2490.htm NYC Survey Methods: Delineation

soil – landscape units reflect:

 Topography

 Parent material

 Land use / cover

Bunker Ponds Park, Staten Island USDA-NRCS NYC Soil Surveys

acres scale msd Central Park 843 1:4,800 0.3 acres South Latourette Park 320 1:6,000 0.5 acres Gateway Nat Rec Area 6,300 1:4,800 0.3 acres Bronx River Watershed 6,900 1:6,000 0.5 acres Reconnaissance 193,024 1:62,500 40.0 acres

City-Wide Initial 190,764 1:12,000 1.5 acres (Web Soil Survey available) NYC initial soil survey

1:12,000 scale (1.5 acre MSD)

236 Map units 37 “Natural” soil series (4 est. in NYC) 29 HAHT soil series (27 est. in NYC) • Clean fill – spolic (HAHT class) • Dredge materials – dredgic • Construction debris - artifactic

• Coal & fly ash – combustic Bigapple series • Solid waste landfill - methanogenic Dredge materials

Urban land mapunits – 6 substratum phases (from USGS map) Till Tidal marsh Outwash Sandy Alluvium Reclaimed

NYC Citywide totals (USDA-NRCS Soil Survey)

% of land area Urban land (sealed soils) 62.7

HAHT* (fill) Soils 27.6

“Native” Soils 8.6

Other Misc. Areas** 1.1

* Human-altered & human-transported **Rock outcrop, Beaches, etc. Cross Bronx Expressway (NY Times photo) NYC Pedodiversity Soil Type % of land area Sealed soils 62.6 Clean fill 16.4 Artifactual fill 6.0 Dredge fill 2.9 Brown till 2.6 Red till 2.1 Tidal marsh 2.0 Landfill 1.6 Outwash 1.5 Sand dunes 0.3 Coal ash 0.1 Serpentine 0.1

USDA-NRCS Soil Survey of New York City - 2013 1:12,000 scale (“Official” data) 1.5 acre (0.6 ha) minimum size delineation available on Web Soil Survey: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm

 Create soil map & custom report for “Area of Interest”  Download spatial & tabular data (by county/boro) Web Soil Survey: Soil Data Explorer Soil Properties and Qualities “aggregate” data

• Soil Chemical Properties • Soil Physical Properties • Soil Erosion Factors • Soil Qualities and Features • Water Features

Greenbelt soil “clean” fill Web Soil Survey: Soil Data Explorer Suitabilities and Limitations for Use

• Building Site Development • Construction Materials • Disaster Recovery Planning • Land Classifications • Land Management • Military Operations • Recreational Development • Sanitary Facilities • Vegetative Productivity

• Waste Management Mosholu soil • Water Management Coal combustion ash

NRCS survey-related projects & Lab Data, NYC

. 118 pedons sampled to date . Atmospheric inputs of trace metals in woodland soils . Manhattan trace metal/PAH background levels with Con-Edison . Infiltration & Land Use . Artifacts & trace metals . Citywide soil organic carbon stocks Lab Data Mart: “point” data https://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/

• Particle size (USDA & Engineering) • Bulk density • Water retention • pH & EC • CEC • Soil test analyses (extractions) • Total elemental analysis (C, N, S, etc.) • Trace metals • Mineralogy Laguardia soil construction debris NYC Soils available on: Soil Web Applications

https://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/soilweb-apps NYC Soils available on Google Earth:

http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/soil_web/kml/mapunits.kml NYC Soils available in gSSURGO

• Geospatial Data Gateway Direct Download • Gridded Soil Survey Geographic (gSSURGO) by State • gSSURGO/SSURGO ArcTools (ArcGIS) . Create gSSURGO, download SSURGO and create interpretative soil maps; Soil Development Toolbox . Soil Data Viewer an extension to ArcMap that allows a user to create soil-based thematic maps • Value Added Look UP Table Database • Soil organic Carbon • Soil Data Access Query (SQL)

Soil Systems of New York City

Intro/Guide to NYC Soils Accompaniment to Web Soil Survey

Info on parent materials, landscapes, properties (including lab data) of NYC soils

Systems are distinct groups of soils or catenas produced by the interaction of geology, geomorphology, hydrology and climate.

34 total for NYC, including: Tidal soil system Red serpentine till system Brown till, meltout till subsystem Red sedimentary till, fragipan subsystem Deep fill, artifact subsystem Pavement system, brown till subsystem… Landscape block diagram, Brown meltout till Soil Shops- NY, NJ & PA soil lead screening

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), NY Department of Health Brooklyn College Cornell Cooperative Extension Rutgers University USDA-NRCS How Healthy is your soil? Portable X-ray fluorescence environmental analyzer EPA Method 6200 Albany, NY Utica, NY Newburgh, NY Staten Island, NY Camden, NJ Philadelphia, PA Non- Discrimination Statement In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.