Salt Water Limit is a 1:24000-scale, line feature-based layer that depicts the approximate salt water limits of watercourses and embayments in coastal Connecticut.  It is important to note that the exact demarcation of the salt-water extent is often not accurate.  As stated in the report known as Source 1 in this metadata ("The Boundary Between Freshwater and Saltwater in Connecticut"):   "Any definition and demarcation of the boundary between saltwater and freshwater is, of necessity, an approximation. The boundary is transitory and, at times, vague. Within a given body of water, it may vary from day to day, season to season, and year to year, according to such predictable and unpredictable factors as tidal magnitude, rate of evaporation, climatological and meteorological factors, estuarine circulation patterns, and the degree of vertical salinity stratification. An exact delimitation of the upstream limits of saltwater would be a difficult task and one that is probably not necessary for the purposes of coastal management in Connecticut. However, since the primary goal of Connecticut's Coastal Area Management Program is to provide for the balanced, coordinated management of coastal resources, the coastal waters of the state must be clearly and uniformly defined as required in federal and state legislation." 
The source data for this layer (a compilation of reports and maps) varied in cartographic scale and age but features were digitized onto standard 1:24,000 scale US Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangle maps. Because of this, the layer does not represent conditions at any particular point in time, nor does every waterbody have an associated salt water extent.  This data layer has been updated in 2005 to include more robust attribute information, but no further updates are planned.  
Attribute information is comprised of an AV_LEGEND attribute that identifies the feature as the salt water extent ("Salt Limit"), eight "DATASRC[1-8]" attributes that contain a boolean (0,1) value identifying whether or not that particular source was used, a NOTES attribute for additional data source descriptions, a QUADNUMBER attribute and a QUAD_NAME attribute.

Salt Water Limit is 1:24,000 scale data.  Use this layer along with layers such as Hydrography Arcs and Polygons and Town boundaries to show the limits of salt water extent in Connecticut.  Due to the source data and its compilation methods, use of this layer at scales larger than 1:24000 is not recommended.  

For additional information, refer to the various source data provided in the Source section of this metadata.  

publication date

None. The data is in the public domain and may be redistributed.

No restrictions or legal prerequisites for using the data.  Because the scale of the source data is varied, use caution when displaying this data.  Although this data set  has been used by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection as to the accuracy of the data and or related materials.  The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection in the use of these data or related materials. The user assumes the entire risk related to the use of these data. Once the data is distributed to the user, modifications made to the data by the user should be noted in the metadata. When printing this data on a map or using it in a software application, analysis, or report, please acknowledge the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection as the source for this information.

Includes the source data used to define each feature (DATASRC[1-8]), comments regarding the feature if alternate data sources are used (NOTES), number of the USGS quadrangle (QUADNUMBER), and name of the quadrangle (QUAD_NAME) feature is located on

Salt Water Limit represented as line features.

State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection

Line features conform to the following topological rules. Lines are single part. There are no duplicate lines. Lines do not self overlap.  Lines may overlap other lines.  No automated procedures or tests were performed to guarantee desired topology other than visual inspection.

The completeness of the data reflects the feature content of the data sources.  The Salt Water Limit layer is complete in the sense that it accurately reflects the contents of the source information available at the time the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection created the layer. This data is not updated.

The Salt Water Limit layer retains the feature types and information identified by the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection and obtained from various sources identified in the Source section of this metadata.  All attributes have valid values. Values are within defined domains.  

The horizontal positional accuracy of this data is unknown.