Ecosystem Targets and Supporting Indicators
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Meeting this target requires an average increase of vegetated riparian buffers of 0.4% per year from 2010-2035. A 25-year dataset up to the baseline year of 2010 indicates that vegetated buffers in riparian zones are declining. In 2010, 64.71 percent (rounded to 65 percent in the goal) or 889.83 square miles were vegetated compared to 67.64 percent in 1985.
There are 1,315.1 square miles in Connecticut and 60.1 square miles in New York within 300-foot riparian corridors in the Long Island Sound watershed.
Limit development and/or build development with green infrastructure around the shorelines of all water bodies in order to provide a buffer that effectively removes groundwater before it enters into receiving waters.
University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) has tracked riparian buffers within 300-feet of streams and waterways about every five years in the Long Island Sound watershed using satellite imagery (See Data Note).
Riparian zones, a corridor or strip of land of a specified width along streams and waterways, with native vegetation and soils are the first line of defense against the impacts of impervious surfaces such as streets and parking lots.
Natural riparian areas slow runoff, protect shorelines from erosion, aid in flood control, and filter or trap pollutants. They also provide habitat and corridors for wildlife, as well as shade waters for fisheries enhancement. Additionally, intact riparian corridors may provide scenic value and recreational opportunities.
The natural or vegetated portion of riparian corridors is sometimes referred to as riparian buffers.
There are very few sub-watersheds in Long Island Sound with sufficient riparian buffers to assure “pristine” water quality of streams and rivers.
The higher the percentage of naturally vegetated land in this buffer zone is, the healthier the stream or river will be. A rough rule of thumb is that a river with >90 percent of the buffer zone vegetated is considered “pristine”, while a river with <75 percent vegetated buffer is considered “impacted.” The above map showing the health of riparian buffers by subbasin reveals that there are few subbasins with the vegetated cover necessary to be considered pristine.
Robert Burg, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission[email protected]
UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research