What is the purpose of a “buffer”?
The purpose of a buffer is to provide a vegetated area along streams through which stormwater runoff can flow in a diffuse manner, infiltrate into the soil, and allow filtration of pollutants. There are two types of buffer requirements: an agricultural buffer and a development buffer. For agriculture, the buffer is only required in the critical area and is measured from the stream bank landward for a distance of ten feet. For development activities throughout the watershed, buffers are required along all perennial waters with a minimum width of 30 feet for low-density development and a minimum 100-foot for high-density development (this includes use of the 10/70). The buffer is measured perpendicularly from the streambank (or from the normal pool elevation of reservoirs) and serves as a setback for new structures such as houses, barns, and other buildings. Property owners are encouraged, but not required, to maintain at least the first 25 feet of the buffer next to the stream in a natu
