RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Use of the SCS Agricultural Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) System in Whitman County, Washington
JF Landscape Journal
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 3
OP 14
DO 10.3368/lj.3.1.3
VO 3
IS 1
A1 Frederick R. Steiner
A1 Richard W. Dunford
A1 R. Dennis Roe
A1 William R. Wagner
A1 Lloyd E. Wright
YR 1984
UL http://lj.uwpress.org/content/3/1/3.abstract
AB In 1981, a pilot program was launched by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) to weigh agricultural capability with site-specific characteristics for a given area of land. Whitman County, Washington, was one of twelve counties selected for the nationwide pilot program. The Whitman County Regional Planning Council staff, the SCS district conservationist, and Washington State University faculty worked closely with state and federal SCS officials to adapt the land evaluation and site assessment (LESA) system to local conditions. The first opportunity to test LESA in Whitman County occurred when the Washington Water Power Company sought to locate a substation near the town of Albion. As a test, four possible locations for siting the substation were reviewed and, based upon the results produced by using LESA, the sites were ranked for presentation to county officials. This paper provides an explanation of LESA and how it is being used in Whitman County, Washington.