February 2018 PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One – Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter Two – Physiography .................................................................................................................. 5 Appalachian Highlands ....................................................................................................................... 5 Blue Ridge Province ........................................................................................................................... 5 Ridge and Valley Province .................................................................................................................. 5 Piedmont Province ............................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter Three – Topography .................................................................................................................. 9 Elevation ............................................................................................................................................ 9 Slopes ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter Four – Geology ........................................................................................................................ 15 Pre-Cambrian ................................................................................................................................... 15 Lower Paleozoic ............................................................................................................................... 15 Cambrian .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Ordovician and Cambrian ................................................................................................................ 15 Ordovician ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Jurassic ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Triassic .............................................................................................................................................. 18 Geologic Hazards.............................................................................................................................. 18 Karst Topography ............................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter Five – Mineral, Rock and Topsoil Mining ................................................................................ 21 Historically Mined Materials ............................................................................................................ 24 Chapter Six – Soils ................................................................................................................................. 27 Soil Units .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Prime Agricultural Soils .................................................................................................................... 30 Hydric Soils ....................................................................................................................................... 36 On-Site Sewage Limitations ............................................................................................................. 36 Residential Building Constraints ...................................................................................................... 38 Chapter Seven – Hydrologic Features .................................................................................................. 41 Surface Water ................................................................................................................................... 41 Groundwater .................................................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 8 – Land Cover ........................................................................................................................ 63 Barren/ Developed ........................................................................................................................... 64 Forested Areas .................................................................................................................................. 64 Vegetated Areas ............................................................................................................................... 66 Water/Wetlands ............................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 9 – Mammals, Birds, and Fish ................................................................................................. 69 Mammals .......................................................................................................................................... 69 Birds .................................................................................................................................................. 69 Fish.................................................................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 10 – Air Quality ....................................................................................................................... 71 National Ambient Air Quality Standards .......................................................................................... 71 Air Quality Index ............................................................................................................................... 72 Pollen and Mold ............................................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 11 – Climate ............................................................................................................................ 77 Precipitation ..................................................................................................................................... 77 Temperature ..................................................................................................................................... 77 Growing Season ................................................................................................................................ 77 Chapter 12 – Unique Features and Areas ............................................................................................ 79 Chapter 13 – Summary ......................................................................................................................... 85 MAPS Map 1 – Regional Map of York County, Pennsylvania ............................................................................ 3 Map 2 – Physiographic Sections ............................................................................................................. 7 Map 3 – Elevation Map ......................................................................................................................... 10 Map 4 – Buildable vs. Non-buildable Areas .......................................................................................... 11 Map 5 – Slope of Soils ........................................................................................................................... 13 Map 6 – Geology ................................................................................................................................... 16 Map 7 – Geologic Time Periods ............................................................................................................ 17 Map 8 – Karst Topography Features ..................................................................................................... 19 Map 9 – Resources Mined .................................................................................................................... 22 Map 10 – General Soils ......................................................................................................................... 28 Map 11 – Prime Agricultural Soils ......................................................................................................... 31 Map 12 – Soils by Capability Class ........................................................................................................ 32 Map 13 – Hydric Soils ............................................................................................................................ 37 Map 14 – Septic Tank Limitations Based on Soil Characteristics .......................................................... 39 Map 15 – Soil Suitability for Dwellings with Basements ....................................................................... 40 Map 16 – Streams and the Susquehanna River .................................................................................... 48 Map 17 – 100-Year Floodplains ...........................................................................................................