Orange County NC Website
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18 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />Soil Productivity <br />Orange County's approximately 398 square miles (254,720 acres) consists of mostly rolling <br />terrain. The county lies across three major water basins: the Roanoke River Basin in the north, <br />the Neuse River Basin in the northeast and the Cape Fear River Basin in the southeast. The <br />growing season lasts about 200 days from mid April to late October and usually includes <br />sufficient amounts of rain during the summer months. <br />Soils are classified in associations <br />based on their suitability for different <br />land uses such as agriculture, forestry, <br />or residential or commercial <br />development. This classification <br />system defines various soils based on <br />their potential productivity for <br />different agricultural products as well <br />as their limitations--their risk of <br />environmental damage such as <br />erosion when they are used for <br />agriculture and how easily these <br />limitations can be overcome by <br />remedial measures. Class I sails <br />generally have the fewest limitations, <br />support the widest range of uses, and <br />carry the least risk of environmental <br />damage. Class II soils have some <br />limitations that reduce the range of <br />potential crops or require moderate <br />conservation practices. Class III soils <br />have greater limitations on their range <br />of potential -crops and require special <br />conservation measures. Class I and II <br />sails are considered to be 'prime" <br />agricultural soils - soils whose <br />characteristics make them most suited <br />to agricultural uses. <br />Orange County Watersheds <br />~~ ~~ - <br />ln'y 1 A <br />'y.K. ~ ~X <br />~, titi ~< <br />., ~ ~~t y <br />rr~ ~ r~ ~ <br />~, 4' ~ ' "' ~'~ , ~ ~~3 ~~>,i5'' <br />z;; <br />- ~ ~ _ z, ~ .,,~ <br />~~ ~~. ~ > <br />~ s,3 .; <br />~, <br />~('j oZ ~',r'~lc u ~ I ~~! egend <br />f <br />--: Y ,.~ ~ ~I~,Q i+-1~ Rotedod Water SuPVIY <br />~ ~. ~. PC '3 ~F. x ~Unpimeaea Ywter Slvvlf <br />y ~ ~:; ~` is.~ ~~ y :fit GitinlMea <br />K <br />wti~ y r r '~' ~~s> ~'~ t~ fir- River Basin Boundary <br />t ~~rt ~1$ra ;~S ~ 3S._ _ ~.r'~!~ ~_` -Streams <br />^~ ~~ „~'S~S„ t;_1 '`~~T -_~,Y.r1~~~ Municipal ,kirisdictims <br />~1'y -l ='.~ C ~ ~ '. Nw : ~ WarJUe..q l~0.fi.ev <br />.l4 3' y~"~ ~= l~~ aw• H Ae <br />t . ~ j ~. ~; :, y?ice- a"•~~+- - <br />r l ~ ' ~~ ;_ <br />Almost three quarters of the county's land area consists of soils productive for agricultural and <br />forestry uses, including 140,630 acres of prime farmland and 58,650 acres of state and locally <br />important farmland.6 Approximately 34,084 acres or 40% of active and inactive agricultural <br />lands in the county are on prime agricultural soils. The majority of these quality soils (shown in <br />dark green) extend across the county in a diagonal pattern southwest to northeast. <br />e About 90% of active and inactive farmland in Orange County consists of Class I, II or III soils. <br />Draft 11/09/2Q09 Overview of Agricultural Activity <br />7 <br />