Buffers

Buffers are a Best Management Practice (BMP) for agriculture nonpoint source pollution. They are strips of vegetation of varying widths located adjacent to streams or other waterways. There are different types, including forest buffers, shrub buffers, and grass buffers. Buffers help prevent nonpoint source pollution by filtering nutrients and sediment and reduce streambank erosion, maintaining the natural channel of the waterway.

For more detailed information visit these sites:

• NRCS National Handbook of Conservation Practices - Provides a comprehensive list including descriptions and photographs of national standards for conservation practices.

• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Buffer Notes

• Riparian Buffer Systems, Maryland Cooperative Extension

• Agricultural Riparian Buffers, North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension

• Selected Agricultural BMPs to Control Nitrogen in the Neuse River Basin

• Cost and Benefits of BMPs to Control Nitrogen in Lower Coastal Plain, Upper and Middle Coastal Plain, and the Piedmont

• Riparian Forest Buffers, Chesapeake Bay Program

• EPA National Showcase Watersheds

• Riparian Forest Buffers, USDA National Agroforestry Center

• USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service National Conservation Buffer Initiative

NCSU Water Quality Group

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