Why are upland buffers required under the Regional Permit Program?
A13. The Districts requirement for vegetated buffers adjacent to streams and other waters is consistent with the goals of the Clean Water Act of the maintenance of the biological, chemical, and physical integrity of the aquatic environment. The presence of buffers adjacent to wetlands and waters of the United States contribute to protection strategies by maintaining the functions and values of local natural ecosystems affected by permitted activities including: 1) reducing adverse effects to water quality by trapping and removing sediments, pollutants, and nutrients from surface runoff, 2) enhancing infiltration of water into soil, which allows plants and microbes to remove nutrients and pollutants from water, 3) decreasing erosion of stream beds and surrounding land by slowing storm water runoff velocities and increasing infiltration, 4) reducing soil erosion by keeping the soil in place with plant roots, 5) maintain fish habitat by reducing water temperature changes, 6) providing det
