Leaving an area of trees, grasses, shrubs, even wildflowers along waterways can improve the water quality adjacent to your property by over 30%. These natural areas are known as riparian buffers.
They should b e protected if you have them: If you don’t, they can be easily created and offer many benefits.
A riparian bufer removes sediment and pollution such as chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria and even road salt before they reach surface water.
Over 300 types of species in Niagara rely on riparian buffers to survive. Riparian buffers can also control flooding, prevent erosion, improve water clarity, provide shade and cooler water temperatures for fish and other creatures such as turtles and frogs.
If you have an oportunity to restore, protect or rehabilitate a riparian buffer zone on your property, you will help protect water quality for future generations.
Most of our riparian buffer habitat has been eliminated through urbanization and agriculture. Ninety-three percent of the riparian areas in the Niagara Peninsula are privately owned. If every landowner protected or improved one small piece of riparian buffer on their property, these little changes would make a big difference in improving local water quality.