NC Riparian Buffers Protect Water Quality

As North Carolina marks National Water Quality Month, state environmental officials are highlighting a natural tool they say plays a major role in protecting drinking water, recreational waterways and property: vegetation.

Riparian buffers are areas of vegetation along streams, rivers, lakes and other waterways. The plants can help absorb sediment, nutrients and other potential pollutants before they reach the water.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources says buffers can also reduce erosion, help stabilize streambanks, moderate water temperatures and provide wildlife habitat.

“Buffers were put in place to serve and protect the community and homeowners,” said Joseph Myers, an environmental program consultant with the Division of Water Resources. “They protect water quality and help stabilize streambanks.”

According to DEQ, North Carolina has six areas with specific riparian buffer protections: the Catawba River and its mainstem lakes, the Goose Creek watershed, the Jordan Lake watershed, the Randleman Lake watershed, the Neuse River Basin and the Tar-Pamlico River Basin.

Why buffers matter

When rain falls, runoff can carry soil, fertilizer, animal waste and other pollutants toward nearby waterways.

Vegetation between developed or agricultural land and the water can act as a natural filter.

“Riparian buffers filter stormwater runoff before it enters the stream,” Myers said. He said vegetation can absorb and store excess nutrients and sediment while helping control erosion and flooding.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are particular concerns because excess nutrients can contribute to algal blooms.

For property owners, the vegetation can also serve another purpose.

“A lot of people are unaware of how important vegetation is for streambank stabilization,” Myers said.

Catawba River

The Catawba River buffer rules protect the river from Lake James to the South Carolina border, including Lake Norman and other mainstem lakes.

The rules generally require a 50-foot vegetated buffer along the protected waterways.

The first 30 feet, known as Zone 1, is intended to remain undisturbed. The remaining 20 feet, Zone 2, must remain vegetated, although certain activities may be allowed.

The goal is to reduce nutrients and sediment entering the river and its lakes.

Jesse McDonnell, an environmental specialist with DEQ's Mooresville Regional Office, said the buffers are particularly important because of the amount of recreation and business activity along the Catawba system.

“All of the lakes are busy, really popular places for swimming, boating and other recreational activities,” McDonnell said. “These buffers help protect the water quality to support these activities, and all of the restaurants, marinas, on the lakes and on the rivers that depend on them.”

Goose Creek

The Goose Creek watershed has some of the state's more restrictive buffer protections because of an endangered freshwater mussel.

The Carolina heelsplitter is found only in North and South Carolina. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says only 11 populations are known to survive, including one in North Carolina.

The buffer requirements are designed to protect the mussel from pollution and preserve its habitat.

In portions of the watershed within the 100-year floodplain, the buffer extends 200 feet. In other areas, the buffer is 100 feet.

Neuse River Basin

The Neuse River Basin was home to North Carolina's first riparian buffer program, created after concerns about algal blooms and large fish kills.

The rules generally protect a 50-foot vegetated area along regulated surface waters. The buffer is divided into two zones, with the first 30 feet generally maintained as undisturbed vegetation.

The purpose is to reduce sediment and nutrients reaching downstream waters and estuaries.

The buffers also benefit wildlife, including the Neuse River waterdog, an aquatic salamander found in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico river basins.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identifies habitat degradation and sediment pollution as significant threats to the species.

Tar-Pamlico River Basin

The Tar-Pamlico program also focuses on reducing nutrients and sediment before they reach downstream waters.

The rules generally protect a 50-foot buffer adjacent to surface waters in the basin, with certain exceptions.

Allen Stewart, an environmental specialist with DEQ's Washington Regional Office, said buffers also protect estuaries and aquatic habitat.

“They’re protecting the estuaries in the same way they’re protecting the rivers, by sequestering nutrients and sediment before they overload the system,” Stewart said.

Stewart acknowledged that some homeowners may prefer a completely unobstructed view of the water.

“Everyone wants an unobstructed view, but if everything were to be cut down, their view might just be of an algal bloom,” he said.

The rules do allow some vegetation management. Stewart said homeowners can, for example, remove poison ivy, poison oak and invasive species, and trees can be limbed to improve visibility.

“But you can’t clear cut everything right down to the shoreline,” he said.

Jordan Lake

The Jordan Lake watershed buffer program covers streams and other waterways that drain into the lake, an important drinking water source.

The state rule generally protects a 50-foot riparian buffer along regulated surface waters.

Local governments have a role in implementing the Jordan Lake rules and may impose requirements that are more restrictive than the state's minimum standards.

DEQ advises property owners to check their local Unified Development Ordinance, or UDO, before undertaking work near a protected waterway.

Randleman Lake

Randleman Lake is another protected drinking water supply.

The watershed's rules generally provide a 50-foot vegetated buffer along streams flowing into the lake and a 200-foot buffer along the lake itself.

The protections were established as part of the state's commitment to protecting Randleman Lake as a water supply for the Piedmont Triad region.

What homeowners should know

Riparian buffer regulations do not necessarily mean homeowners cannot maintain their property.

DEQ says individual programs have tables describing activities that are allowed within protected buffers. Some activities, including removal of dead, dying or diseased trees that pose a threat to property, may be permitted.

Because requirements vary depending on the waterway and location, DEQ encourages property owners to check the applicable rules before clearing or developing land near a stream, river or lake.

McDonnell's advice to homeowners with questions was simple: “Don’t be afraid to call.”

For homeowners, developers and local governments, understanding the applicable buffer rules can help prevent costly mistakes while protecting the waterways that supply drinking water, support recreation and provide habitat across North Carolina.