LTBB Master Land Use Plan - Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa ...

would be to say “over the last 10 years, 5000 acres of agricultural land has been lost to residential
development, with 2500 acres of lost agricultural land coming from Bear Creek Township alone.” As
you can see, current land use forms a key component for many types of analyses.
Topography
TOPOGRAPHY AND SURFACE FEATURES
The topography of an area is usually the result of both the underlying geologic makeup and
forces on the surface that effect that geology. In northwest Michigan, two topographic features
stand out as being clearly iconic. The topography of the LTBB Odawa Reservation is shown on Map
17.
Septic Suitability
The pie chart labeled “Septic Suitability” (Graph 15) shows us, for the entire LTBB Reservation
area, the distribution of land areas with limitations for septic-based wastewater treatment. It is based
in large part on soils analysis, with each soil type being rated for a variety of factors and capabilities.
This data is taken in part from the engineering table that describes “Limitations of soils for
residential and industrial development and related non-farm uses.” This table is also used as the basis
for Map 18, “Soil Septic Suitability.”
Soils with slight limitations for septic systems will have an appropriate rate of percolation for
drain fields, and have the accompanying proper particle size for filtration of the waste stream. Given
the lack of municipal wastewater treatment in most of the rural areas within the Reservation, areas
with slight limitations for septic systems are more attractive for development, all things being equal.
As can be seen by the graph, there are 83,131 acres of such soils within the Reservation boundaries.
This represents approximately one-third of the entire area available for development.
However, those areas with severe or moderate limitations for septic systems constitute over half
of the area. Severe limitations for septic might include poor percolation rates caused by excessive
clay in the soil, or rocky-barren soils with poor filtration ability. The rating of severe indicates that
“the soil is poorly suited to the use specified and that intensive engineering practices are needed to
overcome the limitations.”
Hydric Soils
The “Hydric Soils” graph (Graph 16) refers to the presence or absence of water in a soils
makeup. Excessive water bound to particles in the soil causes inability to drain, support foundations,
and a host of other limitations. As can be seen by the graph, the vast majority of all soils found in
the Reservation area are Non-Hydric in nature.
Drainage Potential
The graph labeled “Drainage Potential” (Graph 17) refers to a more specific type of “drainage”
that that discussed above. A soil can have severe limitations for septic systems, and still be “well”
drained, as can be seen by the graph. Over 138,000 acres of the Reservation area are classified as
“well” drained, far in excess of the area rated acceptable for septic systems. This is perhaps more
clearly represented by Map 19.
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