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STREAM CORRIDOR RESTORATION AND ITS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY
Citation:
Striz*, E. STREAM CORRIDOR RESTORATION AND ITS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY. Presented at Oklahoma Sustainability Network Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, 05/10/2002.
Description:
Watershed stream corridors are being degraded by anthropogenic impacts of increased flow from runoff, sediment loading from erosion and contaminants such as nitrate from non-point sources. One solution is to restore stream corridors with bank stabilization and energy dissipation structures as well as revegetating the banks to maintain their integrity during high flow events. It is believed that this level of restoration may also improve the condition of the stream corridor ecosystem and enhance its ability to process contamination. EPA is therefore currently conducting a study in Baltimore County, Maryland to determine if stream corridor restoration can also improve stream water quality. In particular, the study investigates if restoration can reconnect flood plain hydrology and enhance beneficial processes in the riparian zone such as denitrification, which may remove nitrate from the stream.