In Defense of Stream Buffers
by Alan Toney
Why are most of the streams, lakes and rivers near Georgia's urban areas are in trouble? Most people will answer inadequate sewage treatment, but that is only part of the story. The heaviest impact on our waterways comes from what the EPA calls non-point sources.
Some of the most notable are:
- Storm water that surges off of expressways, rooftops and other manmade surfaces.
- Chemicals put on lawns to make grass grow unnaturally green and uniform.
- Petroleum products that drip from our car's engine, undercarriage, and gas tank. (Not to mention zinc that comes from tire wear.)
- Plain old dirt carried from construction sites by storm water.
It smothers habitat along with everything that lives in it.
The first line of defense in protecting our streams is a narrow strip of natural area along each bank called the stream buffer. Scientific studies call for a minimum of 100 feet natural buffer on each side of a stream. Unfortunately Georgia law only requires a 25 foot buffer for standard streams with the 100 foot buffer reserved for trout streams. These little buffers have a big job to do. They are supposed to filter pollutants and soil before they reach the stream, slow the flow of water to the stream in a rain event, hold the soil on the stream's bank, and shade the waterway's fragile eco-system from the hot summer sun.
Stream buffers have many enemies.
Misguided developers hate stream buffers because they get in the way of their plans to scrape a lot bare, pipe the stream, and maximize the amount of pavement and roof tops that can be put on the property. The uninformed recreationist see opportunities for soccer fields, tennis courts and even bike paths instead of a stream buffers. A simple 12 foot bike path needs at minimum a 20 foot wide cut to construct its pad. That cut that is usually made with heavy equipment that often crushes the root systems of trees that would appear to be out of harm's way. Homeowners cut trees and sometimes even spray defoliant just so they can have a better view. They rarely understand that their view is helping their stream die.
This year stream buffers are under attack in the legislature. We must protect and expand stream buffers if we are to save the waters of Georgia from urbanization.
Last updated: 15 Feb 00