Description: The Impoundment feature class is the official geospatial representation of the major impoundments assessed (for the Integrated Report of Surface Water Quality) within Maryland. Impoundments within this feature class are linked, through a relationship class, to a table that provides the specific water quality assessment information for that impoundment. Note: This single feature class is one of a set of feature classes (7) that geospatially depict Maryland's assessment units in non-tidal streams, tidal water bodies, and impounded waters. Each of these feature classes correspond to a specific assessment scale (streams, impoundments, estuarine segments) within Maryland.
Definition Expression: N/A
Copyright Text: The Maryland Department of the Environment, Science Services Administration would like to acknowledge the U.S.G.S. for their 1:24,000 scale National Hydrography Dataset which was used during the development of this polygon file.
Description: The Tidal_Waters feature class is the geospatial representation for tidal bodies of water (e.g. Chesapeake Bay, tidal tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Bays, and Atlantic Ocean) within Maryland's borders. This feature class is built upon the Chesapeake Bay Program's salinity segmentation scheme and the NHD's coverage for the Coastal Bays. Note: This single feature class is one of a set of feature classes (3) that geospatially depict Maryland's use classes in non-tidal streams, tidal water bodies, and impounded waters. By linking MD's water body use classifications through the common identifier (COMID) code, the information contained in the dataset can be analyzed using software tools ranging from spreadsheets to geographic information systems (GIS) to aid in regulatory decision making. Please note: Where an water body endpoint and use class limit identified in COMAR differed, the segment was assigned the more stringent use class.
Definition Expression: N/A
Copyright Text: The Maryland Department of the Environment, Science Services Administration would like to acknowledge the Chesapeake Bay Program for their Chesapeake Bay Segmentation layer which was used during the development of this polygon file. MDE would also like to acknowledge the U.S.G.S. for their 1:24,000 scale National Hydrography Dataset which was used to help determine shoreline extents in tidal waters.