Illinois Aquifer Sensitivity to Pesticide Leaching

Six aquifer sensitivity classes, from Excessive to Very limited, classify Illinois soils and shallow aquifers based on pesticide leaching potential. This statewide geospatial dataset was created by SCIOPS through an interpretive mapping model combining soil association and stack-unit maps. The data was published in 1995 at a nominal scale of 1:250,000.

Use Cases

• Predict aquifer sensitivity class from soil leaching characteristics and depth to aquifer data.
• Model spatial risk of pesticide contamination for shallow aquifers using the six-class sensitivity rating.
• Combine pesticide leaching class map with organic matter distribution data to refine adsorption estimates.
• Identify disturbed land and surface water areas where sensitivity classifications may not apply.

Strengths

• Statewide coverage of Illinois at a detailed nominal scale of 1:250,000.
• Integrates two foundational statewide datasets: a soil association map and a stack-unit geologic map.

Limitations

• Classifications are predictive and have not been validated by water quality sampling.
• Primary source data is from 1995, making it temporally stale for current conditions.
• Underlying soil and depth maps were generated from source data at differing scales (1:15,000 and 1:64,000).

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS

Collection Method

Created via an interpretive mapping model combining a soil association map/database and a stack-unit map of geologic materials.

Time Range

1995

Freshness

1995-12-31

Geography

State of Illinois, USA