NEWS

United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite C
Boise, Idaho 83709

Media Contact:
Jody Fagan  208.685.6978
 

New Web Soil Survey Available
Public can Download Soils Information with a Click of the Mouse

BOISE, October 5, 2005 - Real estate professionals, contractors, city planners, engineers, agricultural producers and homeowners can now easily download soils information.

The new USDA Web Soil Survey site provides secure public access to the national soils information system.

For years, the familiar county soil survey books were free to the public in most USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices. The books are now being replaced with the Internet where information on soil properties and soil usage is available to everyone with access to a computer.

“Soil surveys are needed for most land conservation activities as well as private and commercial land development,” says Richard Sims, Idaho NRCS state conservationist. “I’m excited that just about anyone in Idaho can look up soils information for their specific location.”

USDA designed the website with three easy-to-use features—“Define,” “View” and “Explore.” When viewers visit the web soil survey, they are asked to “Define” a geographic area. Once a location is defined and projected on the screen, the viewer is offered the choice to print the map and related information, save it to their hard drive or download the data for use in a geographic information system (GIS).

The viewer can also “Explore” the designated location and receive information on soil suitability in relationship to usage. This provides the viewer flexibility in developing a report to address a specific need—whether it is to build a new house, design a road, plant a windbreak or create a wetland for wildlife habitat.

Soil surveys began in 1899 as part of the nation’s earliest efforts on behalf of cooperative conservation. Known as the National Cooperative Soil Survey, it has evolved into a partnership of state and federal agencies working together to collect, classify, interpret and provide soils information.

Currently, NRCS has soils maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties and anticipates having 100 percent in the future. The site will be updated and maintained online as the single authoritative source of soil survey information.

People without computer access can still acquire soil survey information from any NRCS field office or by visiting the local library.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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