What are Riparian Buffers?
Riparian means adjacent to the stream or water body. Riparian Buffers are areas of vegetated land next to a water body, usually forested, which help shade and partially protect the water from the impact of surrounding land uses. The plants help filter pollutants that would otherwise enter the water and the plant roots help keep the soil in place.
Preservation of a riparian buffer around the Reservoir serves to protect water quality for humans and wildlife. Important functions of riparian vegetation and riparian wetlands includes preservation of aquatic habitat, protection of the land from erosion, flood mitigation, and maintenance of water quality.
Why do they matter to source water protection?
Riparian buffers matter to source water protection because it is the first step in safeguarding sustainable water sources. Learn more about source water protection here: https://www.fairfaxwater.org/water-supply.
Why does source water protection matter to FW and its customers?
Source water protection matters to Fairfax Water and its customers because a consistent supply of high-quality source water is safer, easier, and much more cost-effective to treat, which keeps our rates low.
To learn more, visit https://www.chesapeakelandscape.org/riparian-buffer-month/