Visual Impact Analysis for a Proposed Quarry Expansion Project in New York

A viewshed model was developed to assess the potential visual impact of a proposed quarry expansion project in New York. As part of environmental review requirements through New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation, applicants must evaluate potential visual and aesthetic impacts resulting from proposed facility construction or expansion. Epsilon conducted a thorough inventory of open space and historic and cultural resources within five miles of the project site using state and national historical records, existing GIS datasets, and field verification. This data was used as input into a viewshed model that predicted potential visibility within the study area with particular focus on sensitive, open space/recreational, and cultural resources.

Viewshed models, which accounted for both topography and vegetation screening, were derived in ArcGIS 3D Analyst and ArcGIS Spatial Analyst, based on a 7.5-minute digital elevation model terrain surface. Potential visibility was further explored using line-of-sight profile graphics keyed to aerial photographs and New York Department of Transportation basemaps. Sensitive receptors (such as U.S. National Register-listed historic sites and Scenic Areas of Statewide Significance) and well-traversed roadways were modeled with this technique. These graphics were particularly effective in illustrating the shielding effect of view obstructions (e.g., vegetation) and terrain, adding another dimension to the standard viewshed overlay.

The visual analysis demonstrated that the proposed project would not be visible from the majority of the five-mile study area. GIS analysis was critical in reaching this conclusion in a timely and cost-effective manner.