| Land adjacent to water bodies, or riparian zones, are critical to the health of aquatic ecosystems in that they filter pollutants, moderate temperature, and reduce sedimentation. Brook trout, which are native to many north Georgia streams, are losing habitat due to rising stream temperatures and sedimentation attributed to human development of riparian zones. Georgia's primary tool to protect riparian zones is the Erosion and Sedimentation Act, which originally required 100 feet of unaltered buffer areas along all water bodies. Changes to the Act in 2000 reduced trout stream buffer widths to 50 feet with a promise to revisit the topic once the University of Georgia published an evaluation of reduction effects. After publication, political pressures left the issue unaddressed. This thesis analyzes the politics of the buffer reduction and the influence the university study had in post-reduction amendments, and concludes with recommendations to improve the current buffer protection program. |
