GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM: ESTIMATION OF LAMINAR EROSION IN THE RIBEIRÃO JOÃO LEITE HYDROGRAPHIC BOWL - GO

Abstract

The unleashing of natural and man-made factors, intensified by accelerated population growth and disorderly urban sprawl, places the loss of soils by laminar erosion at the core of the global problems of environmental degradation. The progressive increase of erosions at the water resources can cause negative impacts on the water quality of a region. Thus, the tendency to use the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) as a tool to quantify local losses based on environmental information becomes important. In 2009 the dam was built of Riverside João Leite, part of the work that ensures water supply for the population of Goiânia and metropolitan area for twenty-five years. The trend of population growth to be served by this dam indicates the need to preserve the quality of water supplied to its consumers. Based on this fact, this paper aimed to quantify soil loss by erosion in the catchment area of the laminar Riverside João Leite, to verify the potential for erosion in the watershed. Soil loss was estimated quantitatively by Equation universal soil loss, using both a Geographical information system ArcGIS 9.3 for processing, handling and production information. The result showed that 65.33% of the basin area has low potential erosion and 34.67% of the basin area has moderate potential erosion, thus requiring of conservation practices to prevent erosion more pronounced.