Sept. 6, 2002
Taking a “LEIP” to Help Loudoun County
Department of Geography Measures Trends in Rapidly-Growing
Section of Virginia
By Greg
Licamele
One of the Department of Geography’s local
initiatives has been centered in Loudoun County, VA. The Loudoun Environmental
Indicators Project (LEIP) seeks to provide objective data and analysis
on indicators of environmental change, such as forest cover, air quality,
growth of impervious surfaces, and water quality. Research results are
disseminated to the public so that citizens and elected leaders may
take whatever preventive and remedial measures they may choose to determine
the character of their communities in the future.
“To the chagrin of people in Loudoun County, they were losing 11
acres of forested land every day of the week two years ago,” McGrath
says. “That’s slowed down because of the economy to maybe
six acres a day.”
McGrath says the economic downturn and the collapse of such companies
as WorldCom might affect the rate of development, but that doesn’t
change the environmental impacts LEIP attempts to assess.
“Whether companies are coming or going, the environment is suffering
and everyone knows that,” McGrath says. “When you add parking
or impermeable surfaces and then people move out, all you have is this
big empty space. You still have the impermeable surface.”
McGrath and his researchers use Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
to examine changes in the environment such as forest cover. He says
Loudoun County has one of he most sophisticated GIS systems in the country
that helps not only municipal planners, but other organizations such
as the sheriff’s department, school system, and fire department.
“With GIS, you can determine how long it will take before you need
a new fire department to serve a new subdivision,” McGrath says.
With all of the change in Loudoun County, GW and LEIP sponsor periodic
forums. The next meeting is scheduled for 9 am on Nov. 14 at GW’s
Virginia Campus focusing on the county’s air quality.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
