Riparian Areas

Riparian Areas
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2002-10-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309082951

The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that wetlands be protected from degradation because of their important ecological functions including maintenance of high water quality and provision of fish and wildlife habitat. However, this protection generally does not encompass riparian areasâ€"the lands bordering rivers and lakesâ€"even though they often provide the same functions as wetlands. Growing recognition of the similarities in wetland and riparian area functioning and the differences in their legal protection led the NRC in 1999 to undertake a study of riparian areas, which has culminated in Riparian Areas: Functioning and Strategies for Management. The report is intended to heighten awareness of riparian areas commensurate with their ecological and societal values. The primary conclusion is that, because riparian areas perform a disproportionate number of biological and physical functions on a unit area basis, restoration of riparian functions along America's waterbodies should be a national goal.

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution
Author: William F. Ritter
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2000-12-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9781420033083

If you work in the water quality management field, you know the challenges of monitoring and controlling pollutants in our water supply. The increasing problem of agricultural nonpoint source pollution requires complex solutions. Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution: Watershed Management and Hydrology covers the latest techniques and methods of managing large watershed areas, with an emphasis on controlling non-point source pollution, especially from agricultural run-off. Written by leading experts, the book includes topics such as: nitrate and phosphorus pollution, pesticide contamination, erosion and sedimentation, water-table management, and watershed management. The authors discuss the effects of agricultural run-off - one of the most intransigent problems now faced by environmental engineers and hydrologists. They explore each issue with an eye towards the integrated management of water quality and water resources over a defined area or region. This single-source reference gives you a complete understanding of the whats, whys, and hows of nonpoint source pollution - and more importantly of how to monitor and manage it. Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution: Watershed Management and Hydrology provides a broad but detailed overview that helps you to comprehend the intricacies of the problem and puts you on the path to finding the answers.

Review of Riparian Buffer Zone Effectiveness

Review of Riparian Buffer Zone Effectiveness
Author: Stephanie Parkyn
Publisher:
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2003
Genre: Buffer zones (Ecosystem management)
ISBN:

The purpose of this report is to review and summarise published research on the efficiency and management of riparian buffer zones (RBZ) with respect to the attenuation of sediment and nutrients, and biodiversity enhancement. While there have been numerous studies on the efficiency of RBZ with respect to sediment and nutrients, many of these studies have been small-scale and site-specific. Therefore, a review of these studies needs to consider an assessment of the catchment scale factors that influence the effectiveness of RBZ in attenuating catchment loads.