Stream Buffers
Riparian environments are the areas that border streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Riparian zones can be floodplains, streamside forests, or just plain streambanks. They are usually different from surrounding lands because they have unique soil and vegetation characteristics and are strongly influenced by water. Riparian zones are basically the interface between the water and the land, and they serve many functions making them valuable to people and wildlife.
Function and Importance
Water storage - riparian zones are able to hold water during a flood, when the water rises out and over the banks of the stream. This prevents further flooding downstream and also traps sediments and nutrients making the riparian area a very fertile place.
Sediment retention - sediment from upland erosion can be trapped and retained in the riparian zone, preventing it from reaching local waterways where it is detrimental to stream habitat, fish, and downstream drinking water supplies.
Nonpoint source pollution buffer - although riparian buffers cannot absorb unlimited pollution runoff, they are effective at removing and/or storing a large amount of nutrients and other contaminants. Riparian zones in agricultural areas have been shown to be extremely effective at reducing the amount of nutrients that reach local streams.
Streambank stabilization - the root mass of trees, grasses, and shrubs help to stabilize streambanks and prevent them from eroding.
Habitat - riparian areas are often more diverse than the adjacent upstream areas because this unique environment represents a gradient in vegetation, moisture, and soils which create a number of habitats. Twigs, branches and leaves falling from the riparian vegetation into the water also provide important instream habitat for aquatic organisms such as insects and fish. Additionally, this vegetation also provides a food or energy source which is important to the entire aquatic food web.
Additional Links
Georgia EPD Field Guide for Determining State Waters that Require a Buffer
A Review of the Scientific Literature on Riparian Buffers by Seth Wenger (March 1999).
Cobb County Stream Buffer Revegetation Guidelines
Please also visit these sections:
Headwaters Education Programs
Riparian Restoration & Education Project/Soque River Restoration Project
Source Water Protection Program in Habersham County
Biodiversity: Assessment of Threatened Fish Species
West Fork Little River Restoration in Hall County
