Riparian buffers are one tool to help manage water in urban areas. When stream levels are low, pollutants get concentrated.”In the study, researchers projected average stream flow between 2017 and 2060 for the Upper Neuse River Watershed. They also projected the impact of climate change on precipitation and temperature, and if low-intensity development were to continue to grow. They projected the average daily stream flow to increase by as much as 28 per cent in some areas without buffers. In some areas, buffers were actually linked with reductions in daily stream flow during dry spells — so the opposite of what they would hope to see.
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