Local Conservation Issues: Wetlands and Water Quality
Riparian Buffers
Stormwater Pollution
Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are the single most effective protection for our water resources in New Hampshire. These strips of grass, shrubs, and/or trees along the banks of rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds filter polluted runoff and provide a transition zone between water and human land use. Buffers are also complex ecosystems that provide excellent wildlife habitat and improve the aquatic communities they shelter. Natural riparian buffers have been lost in many places over the years. Restoring and maintaining them will be an important step forward for water quality, wildlife, and aesthetics in Hollis and in the state. Landowners, town road agents, municipal officials, and conservation organizations can all help restore and protect the riparian buffers which in turn restore and protect the quality of our streams, lakes, and ponds.
- Excerpted and modified from "Introduction to Riparian Buffers", Connecticut River Joint Commissions
For more information on the value of riparian buffers and how to restore and maintain them, visit the Connecticut River Joint Commissions website. Also visit:
Understanding the Science Behind Riparian Forest Buffers - Virginia Cooperative Extension
An Overview
Effects on Plant and Animal Communities
University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension Library of Online Documents
Stormwater Pollution
Stormwater pollution from point sources and nonpoint sources is a challenging water quality problem. Unlike pollution from industry or sewage treatment facilities, which is caused by a discrete number of sources, stormwater pollution is caused by the daily activities of people everywhere. Rainwater and snowmelt run off streets, lawns, farms, and construction and industrial sites and pick up fertilizers, dirt, pesticides, oil and grease, and many other pollutants on the way to our rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. Stormwater runoff is our most common cause of water pollution.
Excerpted from EPA Stormwater website
For more information on stormwater pollution and how you can help prevent adding pollution to our ponds, streams, and wetlands, read the following EPA publications:
EPA Stormwater Fact Sheet
After the Storm: A Citizen's Guide to Understanding Stormwater
Make Your Home the Solution to Stormwater Pollution
For more information on what the town of Hollis is doing to address the issue, visit the Stormwater Committee website.
Horse Manure Management
Horse manure can be an excellent nutrient source for pastures, field crops, and gardens when properly stored and applied. However, if improperly stored, manure can become a pollution hazard. In such cases rain can cause the nitrogen component of manure to leach into the soil eventually contaminating drinking water supplies. Similarly, the phosphorus component can runoff into ponds, streams, and other surface waters, where it stimulates the growth of algae, aquatic plants, and other vegetation. One pound of phosphorus can produce up to 500 pounds of aquatic plants. When these plants decay, they reduce oxygen to levels where many fish and invertebrate species cannot survive.
To find out how to properly manage horse manure to prevent polluting our drinking water and wetland resources, read the New Hampshire Horse Council's "Guidelines & Best Management Practices for Horsekeeping ."
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