Groundwater Resources of Jefferson County, Kentucky

Topography

Discussion from McGrain and Currens (1978)

The tableland area occupies the largest part of Jefferson County. To the casual observer, the details of the topography are obscured by the extensive urban and suburban development. Although locally appearing flat, it is essentially a gently southwestward sloping surface from a high of 790 feet on the east to 500 feet at the foot of the knobs in the southwest part of the county. Floyds Fork and Harrods Creek have cut valleys as much as 150 to 200 feet below this surface in the east-central part of the county. Some sinkholes are present, but these karst features do not constitute an important part of the landscape.

The lowest elevations are found along the Ohio River. Upstream from downtown Louisville the flood plain is relatively narrow but widens appreciably to the south and southwest. Elevations along the flood plain are 430 to 440 feet; terraces 20 feet higher may be present in some areas. The lowest point in the county is 383 feet, the normal pool level of the Ohio River at the mouth of Salt River.

The highest elevations are in the Muldraugh Hill (Highland Rim) area. Here the escarpment rises abruptly 300 to 400 feet above the lowland to the north and east. South Park Hills is a complex of hills and ridges separated by erosion from the main upland to the west. The highest point in South Park Hills, and the highest point in Jefferson County, is 902 feet. Holsclaw Hill, 2 miles to the west, has elevations of 890 feet.

Selected elevations in Louisville are: the courthouse, 462 feet; Churchill Downs, 455 feet; highest elevation in Iroquois Park, 761 feet; terminal building at Standiford Field, 475 feet; main gate at Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, 480 feet; and University of Louisville campus (South Third Street), 460 feet.

Other elevations in the county include Anchorage, 720 feet; Coral Ridge, 490 feet; Eastwood, 720 feet; Fern Creek, 715 feet; Fisherville, 559 feet; Jeffersontown, 711 feet; Kosmosdale, 449 feet; Middletown, 721 feet; Prospect, 460 feet; and Valley Station, 452 feet.

The 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps that cover the county are shown, by name and by index code (Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet) on the index map.

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