A large source of negative environmental impacts on the Ohio River and its ecosystems is land use and activities immediately adjacent to the river's edge. Industrial activities and agricultural runoff are two examples of major problems in this regard. In order to minimize further degradation to the river and begin encouraging active responsibility for the river and its resources a riparian buffer is proposed. Such a buffer would serve to protect the river's ecosystems and help preserve natural habitats. In addition to providing direct benefits to river ecosystems, the establishment of a riparian buffer would create key environmental habitats that would provide opportunities for exercise, play, relaxation, nature observation, river access, and education. There are also several issues in the Corridor that a riparian protection corridor would help to ameliorate. These include water temperature moderation, riverbank destabilization, shallow water zones, erosion, wildlife habitat, and environmentally sensitive areas.

Riparian Buffers are vegetated areas that are adjacent to bodies of water. These riparian buffers utilize various kinds of native vegetation to stabilize soil and counteract erosion. As these buffer zones preclude all but passive recreational activity, they serve to protect riparian ecosystems. Additionally, as buffers between the river's edge and active use and development, riparian buffers help reduce water pollution thus benefiting aquatic ecosystems. For the Ohio River Corridor it may not be feasible to have a buffer zone running the entire length, but there are areas along the river, such as steep banks and wetlands, that are not suitable for other types of development and should be conserved. A riparian protection corridor would be appropriate for these areas and provide some space for nature-based recreation along the river. This should be more of an interrupted corridor, connecting various other types of development with greenways, trails, and park and picnic areas. For a map of areas that should be considered for conservation please see appendices B and C.

Riparian buffers have a number of ecological benefits. They filter non-point sources of pollution and sediment, and prevent them from entering the body of water. The roots of riparian vegetation hold the soil together, preventing the erosion of stream banks. These buffers also create an undisturbed habitat for many species of wildlife of the area and create corridors adjacent to the body of water, allowing wildlife to pass through. They are further beneficial to wildlife as sources of food. Riparian buffers also shade the river and maintain an ideal water temperature for aquatic life. They help to maintain ideal oxygen levels for aquatic life. Lastly, these buffers supply aquatic species with debris and detritus that are essential to their survival.

Riparian buffers also provide benefits to humans. They provide places for hiking, exercising, picnicking and wildlife and nature observation. Additional benefits include the fact that riparian buffer corridors provide safe pathways away from traffic. Lastly, case studies show that property adjacent to preservation areas increase in value.

Zone One - Low Impact
The purpose of having this first zone is to ensure stream bank stability. This zone is important in the protection of riparian species, both plant and animal. For this reason, we suggest that this area remain a very low human impact zone, possibly including groomed, but unpaved, trails. If not already present, trees should be planted next to the river in order to provide shade for the water and help prevent erosion. Specific plants should be selected for these areas that tolerate and thrive in wet, shady conditions.

Zone 2 - Moderate Impact
This zone will allow more human interaction, such as activities on the proposed paved bike and hike trails. In this zone trees can be interspersed with shrubs and other such low growing plants. Ecologically this zone is important in trapping and handling pollutants and nutrients that might otherwise enter the river directly. This zone acts as almost a nutrient sink, where plants store mass amounts of nutrients.

The following figures show the buffer areas, their zones, and potential activities.

Three Widths of Buffer Areas
While there are three zones in each buffer area, the total width of the buffer zones will vary in order to deal with the specific problems. We have identified three potential buffer widths along the corridor. The four criteria used in identifying these potential widths are the particular site (in this case we have used generalized sites), watershed and buffer characteristics, the intensity of adjacent land use, and the specific water quality and/or habitat functions desired. When considering the actual implementation of this strategy, these criteria will need to be considered in more detail and other considerations need to be made in determining the exact width of the buffer zone.

Three Widths of Buffer Areas
source: www.riparianbuffers.umd.edu

Urban areas - minimum buffer width
All the urban areas in the corridor fall under this category. In this category zone three will be given more importance since urban areas need more human interaction. The minimum width of the buffer in these areas preferably is 50 feet. Twenty-five feet out of the total buffer width will be allocated to zone three or the human interaction zone. Since there area numerous land uses in established urban areas, the smallest buffer area can be expected. Land along the river in urban areas is most of the times costly and difficult to keep away from development. The width will still be able to provide us with services such as water temperature maintenance, sediment filtration, and river bank stabilization.