Title:
Riparian Zone Effects on Water Quality
Riparian Zone Effects on Water Quality
Author(s)
Lowrance, Richard
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Hatcher, Kathryn J.
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Abstract
Riparian ecosystems in Georgia are almost
exclusively forested wetlands or floodplain
forests. Our understanding of the importance
of riparian ecosystems in maintaining water
quality has been based on a relatively small
number of research projects carried out over
the last decade. Much of this research has
examined effects on runoff and drainage from
agricultural land. The Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Service, in cooperation with the University of Georgia, has made substantial contributions to our understanding of riparian ecosystems. This paper will present a review of research on riparian ecosystems and water quality in the coastal plain and will examine a number of management issues concerning riparian zones. In the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain of the
southeastern U. S., riparian forests often form a natural buffer between row-crop fields in upland areas and the stream channel. This natural buffer was not always in place. When plowing and cultivation were done with horses and mules, it was possible to plow closer to the stream than it is today with large tractors. Aerial photographs from Turner County, GA show
clearly that forest buffer strips which are now 30m to 40m wide were not present in the 1930's (Lowrance et al., 1986). Although water quality data for these earlier times are not available, it is likely that the lack of a riparian buffer strip resulted in higher sediment loads and contamination of surface water with the agricultural chemicals used in those days.
Sponsor
Sponsored by U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Date Issued
1989-05
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Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings