Category: What You Can Do

Riparian Zones: The Transition Between Land and Water

2/28/2025

What are Riparian Zones?
Riparian zones are essential for life, but few people know about them. A riparian zone, also referred to as a riparian buffer, is the traditional zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. When looking at a stream, the dense vegetation around the water is the riparian!

Why are they important?
There are countless reasons why riparian zones are vital but here are only a few:

Sedimentation and Erosion Control: The plants present in riparian zones often have deep roots that help stabilize the soil, preventing it from being washed away by the water.

Improve Water Quality: As water moves across a landscape, it will drain towards lower areas. These areas are often streams and rivers. The riparian zone helps filter the pollution, sediment, and excess nutrients that the water picks up along its journey from entering the streams.

Flood Control: Riparian zones can help slow down water. Vegetation can soak up excess water preventing, minimizing, or delaying flooding.
Wildlife Habitat: These zones are essential to a wide range of birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish. They provide water with shade and temperature regulations which can keep waters cool which is vital to many fish species. They also act as nursery grounds for many fish species.
Carbon Sequestration: Riparian zones can absorb and store carbon dioxide, which helps us in the fight against climate change.

What are the threats that riparian zones face?
Despite their importance, riparian zones face numerous threats.

Urban Development: Expansion of urban areas often encroaches on riparian zones. This rapid urbanization leads to habitat loss, pollution, and altered hydrogeology which eliminates riparian zones.
Agriculture and Lawn Practices: The use of pesticides and fertilizers can kill off riparian vegetation. These, along with with homeowners and organizations mowing down vegetation to the water line, can pollute our waterways very easily.

How can we protect riparian zones?
Every person can play a role in protecting these vital ecosystems.

Protect Riparian Zones On Your Property: Taking the initiative to plant native riparian vegetation in areas on your property along with limiting fertilizer and pesticide use will allow our neighborhood riparian zones to recover.
Community Involvement: Join local environmental groups and support organizations that try to make a difference.
Policy and Regulation: Use your voice to encourage local policymakers to make regulations with riparians in mind.

By understanding the importance of riparian zones and taking action to protect them, we can ensure a healthy planet for future generations.

Author

Erin Burke is the Tuscarawas Watershed Coordinator for Summit SWCD.

0 Comments

Protecting Watersheds in Winter: What You Can Do

12/6/2024

1 Comment

As winter settles in, the challenges to maintaining healthy watersheds shift along with the season. Snow and ice may blanket our landscapes, but that doesn’t mean our efforts to protect water quality and natural ecosystems should pause. In fact, winter is a critical time to take steps that will benefit our local streams, rivers, and lakes.
Here are some ways you can help maintain watershed health during the colder months.

1. Use De-Icing Products Sparingly
Salt and de-icing chemicals are commonly used to keep roads, driveways, and sidewalks clear of ice, but they can have harmful effects on waterways. When snow and ice melt, these products often wash into storm drains, eventually ending up in rivers and streams. Excessive salt can harm aquatic life, alter water chemistry, and damage vegetation.
What You Can Do:

Use sand, kitty litter, or gravel as alternatives for traction.
Apply deicers only when necessary and use the least amount needed.
Sweep up excess salt after the snow has melted to prevent it from washing away.

2. Protect Vegetation and Soil
Bare soil is more prone to erosion, and snowmelt can carry sediment into nearby waterways. This not only depletes valuable soil but also disrupts aquatic ecosystems by clouding water and covering habitats.
What You Can Do:

Keep garden beds and exposed soil covered with mulch or leaf litter.
Avoid compacting snow over lawns, as it can damage grass and increase runoff.
If you live near a waterway, maintain a buffer of native plants to filter runoff and stabilize streambanks.

3. Properly Dispose of Snow
It’s tempting to pile snow wherever it's convenient, but snow can accumulate pollutants like oil, grease, and trash, which can enter waterways when it melts.
What You Can Do:

Avoid dumping snow into storm drains, ditches, or directly into streams and rivers.
Pile snow in grassy areas where it can melt slowly and filter into the ground naturally.

4. Maintain Your Septic System
Winter weather can make it harder to address septic system issues, but proper maintenance is crucial year-round to prevent leaks that could pollute nearby waterways.
What You Can Do:

Schedule routine inspections and pumping, if needed, before the ground freezes.
Keep the area above your septic tank insulated with a layer of mulch or straw to prevent freezing.

5. Be Mindful of Household Water Use
Water conservation doesn’t take a holiday in the winter months. Reducing your indoor water use helps minimize the strain on local water resources and wastewater systems.
What You Can Do:

Fix leaks promptly to avoid wasted water.
Use cold water for laundry, when possible, to save energy and water.
Capture snowmelt or rain in barrels to use for garden watering in the spring.

6. Prepare for Spring Runoff
Heavy snowmelt in the spring can lead to flooding and increased pollution in waterways. Taking proactive measures during the winter can help mitigate these effects.
What You Can Do:

Install rain barrels or redirect downspouts away from paved surfaces to reduce runoff.
Maintain gutters and storm drains to prevent blockages.
Consider aerating your lawn in the fall or early spring to improve soil absorption.

Why It Matters
Healthy watersheds provide clean drinking water, support wildlife, and protect against flooding. The actions we take during winter—small though they may seem—play a big role in maintaining the integrity of these ecosystems.
By making conscious choices about how we manage snow, salt, soil, and water use, we can ensure that our watersheds remain resilient through the winter and beyond. Together, let’s keep our rivers, streams, and lakes thriving for generations to come.

Author

Sarah Barrow is the Watershed and Outreach Supervisor and the Cuyahoga River Basin Watershed Coordinator at SSWCD

1 Comment

Rooted in Conservation: Stories from the Ground Up

Riparian Zones: The Transition Between Land and Water

Author

Protecting Watersheds in Winter: What You Can Do

Author

Author

Archives

Categories