Town Plan

8.4  Geology

8.5  Earth Resources

Sand and Gravel

Commercial Mineral Deposits

Soils

Soil Associations

Agricultural Soils

Forestry Soils

Soil Suitability for Septic Systems

8.6  Steep Slope Areas

8.7  Floodplains and Flood Hazard Areas

8.8  Wetlands

Wetland Laws and Regulations

Designation of Wetlands

Land Use Within Wetlands

Buffer Zones

Local Authority

Identification of Wet Lands

8.1               Location and Setting

Wallingford is located in southern Rutland County, surrounded by the Towns of Clarendon, Shrewsbury, Mt. Holly, Mt. Tabor, Danby and Tinmouth.  (Map 1)  It is ten miles south of Rutland City, placing it on the developing fringe of Vermont’s second largest municipality.

The physical setting of the town is a reflection of its topography, physiography and land use.  Its physiography reflects the fact that different parts of town are found in three of Vermont’s five physiographic regions.  Physiographic regions consist of areas with distinct combinations of relief, geology, soils and climate.

The eastern two-thirds of the town--including its highest peaks and remotest areas--lies in the Green Mountain physiographic region, while the westernmost one-sixth of the town is part of the Taconic Mountain physiographic region.  The narrow corridor running between the two mountain regions is part of the Vermont Valley.

8.2               History

The forests and streams of the Green Mountains and the fertile soil of the Otter Creek Valley provided the settlers of Wallingford with the wood, waterpower, and farmland needed to establish their frontier agricultural community as early as 1780.  Wallingford Village, a milling and manufacturing center for the valley farms, developed at the confluence of Roaring Brook and the Otter Creek on the Bennington to Rutland stage road (now US Route 7).  To the south, a stage stop along the road evolved by 1830 into the village of South Wallingford.  After completion of the Bellows Falls to Rutland railroad in 1849, East Wallingford grew up around a station on that line as a lumbering and manufacturing center.  For a time small hamlets devoted to lumbering and milling, including Centerville, Hartsboro and Aldrichville, were active on the forested mountain slopes during the 19th century.  Wallingford Village, which became a stop on the Rutland and Bennington Railroad in 1852, continued throughout the century as the commercial and civic focus of the town.

Early settlement in Wallingford progressed slowly, in part because the major transportation routes in the area skirted all but the northwest corner of the town.  The old Crown Point Road, blazed in 1759 and used as a major immigration route before and after the American Revolution, ran through towns to the east and north.  Prior to 1800, the main road between Bennington and Rutland ran through Tinmouth west of Wallingford, reflecting the greater economic importance of that town in which the 1791 census found 935 residents compared to 538 residents in Wallingford.  Some of the first residences in town were built near a road from southern Tinmouth into Otter Creek valley.

Wheat farming in the Otter Creek valley became well established by 1800, and the Bennington to Rutland stage road shifted from Tinmouth to an Otter Creek valley route through Wallingford about the same time.

While most valley farmers raised wheat, Isaac Munson moved to Wallingford in 1814 to raise Merino sheep with the backing of his brother Israel, a Boston merchant.  Although the resumption of massive British woolen imports after the end of the War of 1812 had depressed wool prices, the protective tariffs of 1824 and 1828 later boosted them, allowing the Munson’s to profit from their farsighted venture.

After Isaac died in February 1835, his other children began farms of their own.  His two eldest sons, Elizur and Isaac, divided their father’s farm; Elizur living in the family home and Isaac in a substantial brick house that was built on the east side of the Otter Creek.  Daughter Louisa lived on the family farm with her husband P. Goodyear Clark, until the couple acquired their own farm in 1839.

Wallingford Village developed after 1800 as a cluster of valley farms around a milling site on the Roaring Branch.  Two brick Federal-style farmhouses at either end of the present village were, at that time, surrounded by the barns, stables and sheds of their working farms.  A substantial Federal-style brick schoolhouse was erected in 1818 for the village, evidence of the educational aspirations of the fledgling community.

The village soon attracted professionals and tradesmen.  Dr. John Fox and attorney Harvey Button had their homes built among the farms.  At the main intersection of the village, an inn was built in 1824 with stores, offices, a barbershop and a cabinet shop.  Across the street a grocery and dry goods store opened the same year.  The construction of two churches - the First Baptist Church in 1827 on School Street, and the First Congregational Church in 1829 on South Main Street - signaled the maturation of the village as the town center.

While Wallingford Village came of age, other small villages developed in town.  South Wallingford began as a stage stop at a tavern on the stage road.  Gristmills, sawmills and a marble quarry supported its economy throughout the century.  Holden Stafford, a miller and merchant in the village, donated land for the South Wallingford Congregational Church in 1840.

In the eastern portion of town, the hill farm hamlet of Centerville evolved into a lumber-milling center during the second quarter of the 19th century.  By about 1840, the Pelsue family ran a sawmill on Feller Brook.  A district schoolhouse and a number of homes were clustered near the brook crossing.  Hosea Pelsue operated a successful sawmill through the 1850’s and 1860’s.

The Rutland to Bellows Falls railway, constructed through the northeast corner of Wallingford in 1849, created a convenient shipping route for the lumber produced in Centerville.  A depot located near a tannery on the Mill River was soon surrounded by the village of East Wallingford, a focal point for trade in eastern Wallingford and western Mt. Holly.

The Rutland and Bennington Railroad, completed through Wallingford Village in 1851, opened up new markets for such local businesses as Lyman Batcheller’s pitchfork manufactory, a major employer in the village.  Founded in 1835, the Batcheller Works burned in 1848, but townspeople donated money and labor to help rebuild.  A stone shop dates from after the fire and is the only building remaining from the manufactory.  The works prospered as its pitchforks were shipped by the railroad to a national market.

In the second half of the 19th century, Wallingford Village grew with the successes of local industries.  In 1866, the Batcheller Company moved to a larger plant on the Otter Creek, and in 1869, Franklin Post founded a company to compete with the Batcheller Works.

Farmers in the valley concentrated on dairying and stockbreeding after the Civil War and made improvements on their farms to accommodate the expanding size of their agricultural enterprises.

At the turn of the century, Wallingford reached its peak population of over 2000 residents.  The first quarter of the 20th century witnessed an important shift in the economy of Wallingford as local concerns were bought by out-of-state corporations and the recreation industry gained prominence.  In 1902, the American Fork and Hoe Company of  Cleveland, Ohio acquired the Batcheller Works.  The Wallingford Manufacturing Company, the heir to Franklin Post’s manufactory, was incorporated in 1902, then acquired by the Wellard Vale Manufacturing Company of Canada in 1910.

After 1910, the population of Wallingford began a decline as summer residents attracted by cool air and beautiful surroundings began to occupy what had formerly been working farmsteads.  Recognizing the change that was occurring in the regional economy, the American Fork and Hoe Company got involved in the tourist business in the 1920’s.  Several summer camps were built on land the company owned on Elfin Lake.  In 1926, the company purchased the old Wallingford Inn, completely remodeling it in the Colonial Revival style.  By 1930, the pitchfork factory had been converted from the manufacture of farm implements to golf clubs and other recreational products.

8.3  Physiographic Regions

The town of Wallingford spans three of the five major physiographic regions of Vermont.  The eastern part of the town is in the Green Mountain physiographic region.  This part of town contains its highest peaks and most remote areas.  The Green Mountain National Forest comprises a significant part of this region.  This region covers the area in town east of a line from Bear Mountain to Green Mountain, near South Wallingford.

A narrow valley corridor down the center of the town is part of the region known as the Vermont Valley.  This part of the town contains flood-prone areas along Otter Creek, extensive community development and has significant sand, gravel and mineral deposits.  Historically, it has been the focus of development in town.  The villages of Wallingford and South Wallingford and the main north-south highway, US Route 7, are in this region.  It is bounded by the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Mountains to the west. 

The Taconic Mountain region includes the area in the town west of the Vermont Valley.  The area in the town in this region is relatively small, covering mainly the area known as West Hill.

8.4               Geology

The bedrock geology in the town is directly related to the physiographic regions and vice versa.  The geologic formations underlying the town occur in the north-south strata that are folded and steeply dipping.  The oldest rocks are in the eastern part of the town and the youngest are in the west.

The Mt. Holly complex, of Precambrian age, is comprised of gneiss and quartzite and underlies the area east of Bear Mountain and White Rocks.

The Cheshire quartzite, of Lower Cambrian age, is perhaps the most noticeable geologic formation in the town.  It can be seen on the rocky cliffs of White Rocks, on Green Mountain in South Wallingford and in the area known as Green Hill.  This formation occurs on the western flank of the Green Mountains.

The Vermont Valley physiographic region is comprised of several narrow bands of differing geologic formations of Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician age.  These formations include Dunham dolomite,  Monkton quartzite, Clarendon Springs dolomite, and the Shelburne and Bascom formation,  consisting of dolomite, limestone and marble.  Several of these formations are of commercial value and are quarried in the town.  These are the only currently known commercially significant geologic deposits in the town.

The Hortonville formation, of Middle Ordovician age, underlies the major portion of the Taconic Mountains in the western part of town.  The rock is primarily black slate and phyllite.  It can be observed in road cuts along Vermont Route 140 west of Wallingford village and along the ‘Dugway’ west of South Wallingford.

8.5               Earth Resources

Sand and gravel deposits underlie several areas of Wallingford with particular concentrations along Routes 7 and 140, and east of TH 15 and TH 24.  Map 5  shows both sand and gravel deposits (based on Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soils data) (formerly Soil Conservation Service) and existing sand and gravel operations.  Table  8.5a indicates that about 11 percent of the town is made up of  soils with sand and gravel  resources.  Although sand and gravel may also be found along and in many of the town’s larger watercourses, commercial sand and gravel excavation from streambeds is now prohibited by State law.

TABLE 8.5a - SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES

Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

Commercial Mineral Deposits

Commercial mineral deposits underlie a portion of Wallingford primarily along the western side of the Vermont Valley.   Map 5 shows location of important mineral resources in Wallingford.  According to company officials,  there are no significant limestone/marble resources located elsewhere in the community, other than those under the ownership of the companies in Table 8.5b.  

TABLE 8.5b—COMMERCIAL MINERAL DEPOSITS

 Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

Significant commercial geologic formations include the Shelburne and Bascom formation, consisting of dolomite, limestone and marble.  The material is used for aggregate in construction, and is ground and used for paper, plastic, paint and filler in various products.

Within this commercial mineral zone, several companies operate quarries.  In addition, they own mineral and surface rights to areas not yet developed as quarries.

Soils

As an aid to general identification of soil types, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)(formerly Soil Conservation Service) has classified, mapped and interpreted the soils in the town of Wallingford while conducting a soil survey for Rutland County. [1]

A soil survey describes soil characteristics and interprets each soil’s capability for various uses such as farming, forestry and community development.  The soil survey can also be used to help identify prime farmland, wetlands, highly erodible land, floodplains and sources of sand and gravel.

The soil maps for Rutland County are based on aerial photographs, with areas of each soil type and slope class drawn in on the photograph.  The scale of these detailed soil maps is 1:18000 (1 inch on the photograph = 1500 feet).  The soil maps have also been computerized and are stored in the Geographic Information System (GIS) at the Rutland Regional Planning Commission office.  The set of resource maps that accompany this Plan were developed using GIS.

The detailed soil maps for the town reveal that there are over 40 different types of soils in Wallingford.  Each soil type has a unique set of characteristics, including color, texture, acidity, and other physical and chemical features.  Many soil types are named after the town or village where they were first studied, which explains why many soils have the name of a geographic region.  The major soil types have been grouped into 10 soil associations that make up the General Soil Map for the town. (Map 6)  These associations are briefly described as follows:

Soil Associations

Agricultural Soils

Important agricultural soils are shown on Map 4B, which is based on the NRCS soils data.  Among other characteristics, prime agricultural soils have properties and characteristics most favorable to crop production.  Some of these properties include good water holding capacity and rooting depth, gentle slopes, good drainage, few surface stones or rock outcrops that could interfere with tillage operations, and good fertility.  It should be noted, however, that the fact that certain soil types are classified as “prime” on the NRCS maps does not mean that such soils have sufficient agricultural potential to be classified as “primary agricultural soils”.  Such factors as parcel size, proximity to active markets and farming operations, and accessibility by mechanized equipment must also be considered, and the value of competing uses for agricultural lands must be evaluated.  Accordingly, the evaluation of agricultural potential must be based on many factors, not just soil type.  A LESA (Land Evaluation and Site Assessment) system should be developed and should serve as the basis for balancing competing uses of agricultural lands.

Two classes of agricultural soils are shown: prime and statewide.  Prime soils are the best soils and meet the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) national criteria for Prime Farmland.  Statewide soils are good soils that meet a slightly broader set of criteria for soils of statewide importance.  All Prime Soils meet the Statewide soils criteria, as well as the national criteria.  Agricultural soils make up less than one-sixth of Wallingford’s total land area.  Prime soils are found on 1418 acres, or 5.1 percent of the total.  Statewide soils are found on 2245 acres, or 8.1 percent of the total land area. 

TABLE 8.5c—AGRICULTURAL SOILS IN WALLINGFORD

Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

It is important to note that not all areas of important agricultural soils are in farm and crop production.  Some areas are in woodland, housing or are idle.  Conversely, not all land in farm and crop production are areas of important agricultural soils.  Currently, it appears that Wallingford has more areas of good agricultural soils than land that is in crop production.

As of 1997, approximately one-third of the taxes on land in forestry and agricultural use were paid by the State through the Current Use Value Program.  The Current Use Program allows owners of resource lands to pay property taxes based on the value of their land in its current resource use rather than the value of their land if developed for some other use.  Over 3000 acres are in the forestry program and about half that amount is in the agricultural program.  These programs already help farms, by reducing their tax burden, although the State has not funded the program fully. 

Forestry Soils

For the purpose of this technical report, important forest soils shown on Map 7, are those soil map units with a relative value of 74 or higher according to the Soil Potential Study and Forest Land Groups for Vermont Soils.  (See footnote 1)  These forest soils consist of map units in Forest Value Groups 1, 2 and 3 (out of a total of 7).  Statewide, soils in Forest Value Groups 1, 2 and 3 cover approximately 40% of Vermont’s total land Area.

TABLE  8.5d—RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST SOILS STATEWIDE 

 Source:  USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Within Wallingford, soils classified as important forest soils (Class 1, 2, 3) make up 42.6 percent of total land area.  The distribution of these soils is widespread, being limited in only the rockiest and wettest parts of town.

TABLE  8.5e—FOREST SOILS IN WALLINGFORD 

Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

Soil Suitability for Septic Systems

The key to mapping septic suitability is soil ratings developed by the Federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  In 2002, the State of Vermont adopted new regulations affecting on-site wastewater systems.  Some significant technical changes were made, including allowing for traditional and mound septic systems to be installed in more shallow, wet, and steep soils that would previously have been considered marginal or unsuitable.  These changes have increased the amount of land available for residential development.  In response to the 2002 regulation changes, NRCS developed new soil ratings.  NRCS has noted the following kinds of soils that are now more likely to accommodate septic systems:  floodplains; sloping, wet soils; and steep, moderately permeable soils.  Map 8 depicts these changes.  

Wallingford village is located in an area of the town with good septic suitability.  Other areas with high potential for septic disposal include the areas along Hartsboro Road, along the western edge of the National Forest, and along Mill River.  The area covered by Class 1 soils equals roughly 15% of the total, while areas covered by Class 2 and 3 soils cover another 63%.  

TABLE 8.5f—SEPTIC SUITABILITY OF WALLINGFORD SOILS

 Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

TABLE 8.5g—SEPTIC SUITABILITY OF CONSERVED SOILS 

 Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

Map 4B identifies areas where the slope is greater than 25 percent.   Generally, the steepest slopes (greater than 25%) are found around Bear Mountain, White Rocks and Green Mountain along the western flank of the Green Mountains and in the Taconic Mountains west of the Vermont Valley.  The area affected by steep slopes is summarized in Table 8.6a.  Just over 35% of the town has slopes of less than 15%.  Twenty percent of the town has slopes of between 15 and 25 percent, while 13.6 percent has slopes of greater than 25%.  Another 31.5 % consists of National Forest soils, which are not rated, but are characterized as “rolling”, “hilly”, “very hilly”, and “very steep”. 

TABLE 8.6a—SLOPE CLASS IN WALLINGFORD 

Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission  

8.7               Floodplains and Flood Hazard Areas 

Several distinct zones make up flood hazard areas.  Floodways are areas immediately along side moving water that must be reserved in order to discharge a large flood without increasing the water elevation by more than one foot.  Floodplains are areas immersed by water during flooding, including floodways.  The 100-year floodplain includes the area flooded, on average, once every 100 years. 

Wallingford’s most significant mapped floodplain lies along Otter Creek and Mill River.  (Map 4A)   As shown on Table 8.7a, about 2% of the town is in the floodway, an additional 1.5% is in the 100-year floodplain, and an additional 1% or less is in the 500-year floodplain, for a total of about 4.5% of land potentially affected by flooding. 

TABLE 8.7a—FLOOD HAZARD AREAS IN WALLINGFORD 

 Source:  Rutland Regional Planning Commission

8.8               Wetlands

Wetland Laws and Regulations

In 1986, the Vermont Legislature passed the Vermont Wetlands Act.  Prior to the enactment of this law, primary responsibility for regulating wetlands in Vermont rested with the Federal government.  Under federal law, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly administer Section 404 of the 1972 Clean Water Act.  Section 404, as amended, regulates the placement of dredged or fill material into wetlands and waterways.

Vermont’s 1986 statute does not supersede federal authority, but instead supplements it, although there are some contradictions between the Clean Water Act and the Vermont statutes and rules.  The rules implementing the Vermont Wetlands Act designate all wetlands in the State into one of three classes, of which only Class 1 and Class II wetlands are subject to regulation under the Wetlands Rules.  Class III wetlands are not of such significant importance to require or to be subject to regulation under the Vermont Wetlands Rules.  The particular designation a wetland receives is based on an evaluation of its function and a review of standards specified in the Wetland Rules.  The consideration of functional criteria in the classification of a wetland recognizes the vital roles which wetlands fulfill as wildlife habitat, a check on the destructive power of floods, as recreational areas, and as filters to purify polluted water.  

Designation of Wetlands

The Class I wetland designation is reserved for only the most significant natural areas.  A petition is required to start the process of arriving at this designation.  Class I wetlands are defined as those which “in and of themselves are so exceptional or irreplaceable in their contribution to Vermont’s natural heritage and therefore so significant (that) they merit the highest level of protection under the rules.”   Disturbance or development of a Class I wetland is rarely permitted.  Parties contemplating disturbance of such a resource must prove that they are not endangering the wetland in any way.  There are no Class I wetlands in Wallingford.  The Tinmouth Channel, near the western border of Wallingford was classified a Class I wetland in 2001.

Significant wetlands have been designated Class II.  The base inventory comes from all wetlands “shown on the National Wetlands Inventory maps for the State of Vermont (1978) published by the US Fish and Wildlife Service”.  Class II wetlands are those which are significant resources deserving of protection under the Vermont Wetland Rules.  The Water Resources Board however, may allow on or off-site mitigation of disturbance in Class II wetlands.  There are numerous Class II wetlands in Wallingford which are shown on Map 4A.

Class III wetlands are those that are not designated either Class I or Class II wetlands.  Essentially, this means that such wetlands have not been determined to be so significant as to merit protection under the Rules.  The extent of these wetlands is not known, however, since they have not yet been inventoried.

Land Uses within Wetlands

Any activity not permitted under the Vermont Wetland Rules in a Class I or Class II Wetland is a conditional use.  These activities require a Conditional Use Determination (CUD), administered by the Agency of Natural Resources.  A new road in a significant wetland, regardless of its purpose, must go through a CUD.  Still, the rules do not constitute a permit process.  A CUD is more similar to a zoning variance at the local level.  As such, the burden of proof is on the applicant to show that the conditional use will not adversely affect the value and functions of the wetland.  An application must be filed with the Department of Environmental Conservation (a division of the Agency of Natural Resources).  Also, complete copies of the application must be sent to each town and regional planning commission in which the wetland is located.

Buffer Zones

Vermont’s Wetland Rules establish buffer zones around Class I and Class II wetlands.  The buffer zone is intended to protect the functions and values of the wetland by remaining a naturally vegetated and undisturbed outer shell.  Currently, the Rules designate a 100-foot buffer zone adjacent to a Class I wetland; and a 50-foot buffer zone adjacent to a Class II wetland.  Depending on the particular circumstances involved, the protection of a wetland may require wider buffer zones.

Activities taking place inside a wetland or its associated buffer fall into two categories with respect to the regulations.  The first category is that of allowed uses.  These are exempt from the Conditional Use Determination (CUD) process administered by the Agency of Natural Resources.  Farming and logging are considered agricultural or silvicultural activities that are allowed uses.  Silviculture in particular is defined in the amended Rules as “those activities associated with the sustained management of land for silvicultural purposes including the planting, harvesting and removal of trees”.  However, while exempt from the CUD process, such allowed uses in Class I and Class II wetlands and their buffer zones are regulated indirectly through a series of provisions.  The Rules state that all allowed activities must not alter the outlet or flow of water in a Class I or Class II wetland.  Similarly, no draining, dredging, grading, or filling of Class I or Class II wetlands is permitted except as provided for in the Acceptable Management Practices (AMPs) and the Department of Fish and Wildlife standards for silviculture in deer wintering areas.  Other provisions of the Rules restrict road construction, road maintenance, the building of log landing areas, removal of beaver dams and equipment maintenance activities in Class I or Class II wetlands or their buffer zones. 

Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation publishes a booklet detailing AMPs for maintaining water quality on logging jobs in the State.  The AMPs deal with subjects including construction of skid trails, truck roads, stream crossings and log landings.  The AMPs began as voluntary guidelines, and are now mandatory.  Like AMPs,  Accepted Agricultural Practices (AAPs) have been created which seek to maintain water and soil quality in connection with farming activities.  The AAPs deal with erosion control, manure handling, pesticide application, cattle in streams, stream fording and bank stabilization.  For example, the AAPs state that “animal manure shall be stored at least 100 feet from shallow springs or wells”.   The AAPs are now mandatory.   Agricultural activities in compliance with the AAPs are exempt from the Wetlands Rules. 

Local Authority

In addition to these federal and state regulations, Vermont municipalities have the authority to adopt local wetland protection laws.  Furthermore, towns may choose to incorporate wetlands protection goals into their town plans.  Because of the technical nature of wetland identification, evaluation and regulation, and because wetlands are already extensively regulated at the federal and state level, the Town should be careful not to adopt wetland regulations which simply duplicate existing regulatory schemes.  Moreover, because of the potential for conflicts and inconsistencies between different schemes at the federal, state and local levels, the Town has a duty to its citizens and property owners to take care to insure that any wetlands regulations adopted by the Town are carefully coordinated with existing regulatory programs, so that compliance with one set of regulations will, to the fullest extent possible, constitute compliance with all levels of regulation.

Identification of Wetlands

The term ‘wetland’ is a broad one.  It includes swamps, marshes, sloughs, potholes, fens, floodplains, beaver flowage, mud flats and bogs.  The term is often defined as “an area of land saturated or inundated by surface or groundwater for varying periods of time during the growing season”.[2]    Regardless of their size or type, all wetlands share three basic characteristics.  It is those characteristics which make them both unique components of the environment and recognizable as a wetland.  The characteristics are:

·         the presence of water at the surface for more than 21 consecutive days in any year.

·         the types of soils that form in these situations, known as ‘hydric’ soils.

·         the kinds of plants that grow in such conditions and soils.

The values and functions of significant wetlands include:

·         providing wildlife habitat.

·         storing storm water.

·         purifying surface and groundwater supplies.

·         recharging aquifers.

·         controlling erosion.

·         providing areas for recreation.

·         serving as educational research areas.
 

Hydric Soils

Hydric soils have characteristics favorable to the support of wetland vegetation.  Not all areas of hydric soils are in wetlands, but they can be used as an indication of wetlands, since all wetlands have hydric soils.  A list of hydric soils is available through the local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office.

In Wallingford, hydric soils are scattered throughout the town.  The highest concentration of hydric soils is on floodplains along Otter Creek and Mill River and in the uplands west and southwest of East Wallingford.  The area covered by hydric soils is somewhat limited.  Just under 1400 acres, or 5% of the total land area, meets hydric soil designation.

Land use in Wallingford reflects the historical evolution of the town from a self-sufficient farming community and commercial center to one of an increasingly inter-dependent group of communities. A land use pattern of tightly clustered villages surrounded by open land and scattered farms and residences has given way to a pattern of more diffuse residential and commercial development. Existing land use patterns generally follow the zoning districts reflected in the Wallingford Zoning Regulations adopted in 1972.

According to the Town Lister’s data, residential land uses represented the predominant use of non-federal land in Wallingford in 1997. Privately owned woodland was the next most extensive land use recorded in the town, followed by farms and miscellaneous buildings and lots. Despite their significant economic impact, commercial and industrial activities occupied a relatively minor portion of the Town’s taxable land area.

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