Millponds have dotted landscapes over much of the eastern United States. They have greatly impacted the United States through their ability to harness energy, which helped to fuel colonization and industrialization. However, they have also greatly impacted natural environments by creating brand new watersheds and catchment areas. This paper seeks to shed light on how land use and land cover have changed in millpond watersheds in Williamsburg, Virginia and study how these changes may inform sedimentation data. The use of a digital elevation model (DEM) contributed to the construction of watershed models in ArcGIS Pro. Remote sensing analysis was performed on four millpond watersheds in Williamsburg. Landsat imagery during the years 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 provided the basis for this analysis. Differences in five land cover classifications (developed, farmland, forested/vegetation, grass/wetland, and water) were analyzed over these years. Patterns in LULC change were discovered, especially with a rise in developed land cover and seemingly correspondent fall in forested/vegetated land cover.
Peck, Andrew, "Mapping and Analyzing Millpond Watersheds in Williamsburg, VA using Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing" (2021). Geology Senior Theses. Paper 4.