Nonpoint source pollution control effectiveness of riparian forests along a coastal plain river |
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| Authors: | Jonathan D Phillips |
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| Institution: | Department of Geography and Planning, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | A detention-time model of water quality buffer zones is used to evaluate the nonpoint source pollution control effectiveness of riparian forests in a two-county area of the lower Tar River basin, North Carolina. Soil map units, which represent specific combinations of soil, topography, and vegetation characteristics, are compared in terms of their relative ability to filter nitrate in agricultural runoff. All typical riparian forests provide significant water quality protection, but there is a wide variation in buffer effectiveness. This suggests a need for flexibility in determining buffer widths. A range of 15–80 m is appropriate for the soil-landform-vegetation complexes found in riparian zones within the study area. Buffer widths of 60 m — and often much less — are generally adequate on the soils likely to be used for agricultural production. |
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