How does the public benefit from having natural buffers along the shoreline?
In Washington, state waters belong to the public and are managed for everyone’s economic, environmental, and cultural benefit and enjoyment. The Washington Legislature has passed a number of measures that require all of us to protect public aquatic ecosystems from harm. Vegetated buffers provide the most cost-efficient, long-term method to protect and maintain the quality of our lakes, rivers, and marine waters and their associated shorelines. We all benefit from good water quality, reduced impacts from floods and landslides, and healthy fish and wildlife populations.
