Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway Chalk Point Substation to Indian River ...

Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway Environmental Review Document
Chalk Point Substation to Indian River Substation Volume II – Environmental Analysis of
April 13, 2011 Chalk Point Substation to MD/DE State Line
Table 1.1-1
Physiographic Regions, Districts, and Areas Crossed by the
Proposed Project Right-of-Way
Physiographic Region Physiographic District Project Segment
Western Shore Lowland
Region
Western Shore Upland
Region
Chesapeake Bay Estuary
Region a
Patuxent Estuaries and
Lowlands
Prince Frederick Knobby
Upland District (including the
Calvert Cliffs Area)
Delmarva Peninsula Region Princess Anne Lowland
District (including the
Nanticoke River Area)
Salisbury Plain District
1-4
Chalk Point Substation to
Chestnut Converter
Chalk Point Substation to
Chestnut Converter, Calvert
Converter Station, Calvert
Converter Station to Western
Shore Landing
NA Western Shore Landing to
Gateway Converter
a The Chesapeake Bay and Choptank River crossings are discussed in detail in Volume III.
Western Shore Landing to
Gateway Converter, Gateway
Converter, Choptank River
Landfall to MD/DE Stateline
The Delmarva Peninsula Region’s northern boundary in Maryland is the Elk River; the boundary extends
east and south into Delaware and Virginia respectively with the remaining boundaries along the Atlantic
shoreline on the southeast and the Chesapeake Estuary Bay Region on the west. This large peninsula
separates the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay Atlantic drainages and has grown southward by
accretion during the Neocene period. Sediments underlying this region are generally unconsolidated
sands, silts, clays, pebbles, and cobbles. Within this district, the Project crosses the Princess Anne
Lowland District and the Salisbury Plain District. The Princess Anne Lowland District is a lowland plain
of very low relief, including the Nanticoke River Area. The Nanticoke River Area is characterized as
largely swamp and marsh occupying the Nanticoke River floodplain. The Salisbury Plain District is a
broad lowland plain, little modified by erosion, with widespread Aeolian sand sheets and low-amplitude
sand dunes, fluvial sands, and marine back-barrier and lagoon mud (Reger and Cleaves 2008).
The Chesapeake Bay Estuary Region consists of drowned river valleys of the Susquehanna and Potomac
Rivers that resulted from the post-glacial sea-level rise and connects the Delmarva Peninsula region to the
Western Shore Uplands Region. The boundary of the Chesapeake Estuary Region generally follows the
shoreline of the mainland on both sides of the bay, and where islands and river mouths occur; the
boundary is arbitrarily adjusted to exclude most islands, drowned river mouths, and sounds from this
region. This region includes Chesapeake Bay as well as the sediments and features on the bay bottom,
which include unconsolidated sands, silts, and clays.
The gravel, sand, and clay underlying the counties crossed by the existing Project right-of-way represent
the primary mineral resources of the area, which are used as aggregate materials in the construction
industry (Maryland Geological Survey [MGS] 1981). Small deposits of iron ore were of historical use.
Numerous aquifers create a plentiful supply of groundwater (MGS 1981).