Riparian Buffers / Filter Strips

                         
                      A riparian buffer                                        A filter strip

These are very much like a grass waterway, except that instead of being in a natural drainage path of a crop field, they are on the borders of creeks, rivers, and streams.  That is, they serve as a buffer of grasses, shrubs or trees between the watercourse and adjacent land uses, trapping sediment and filtering out other chemicals that may be detrimental to the ecological balance of the stream.

Cost share programs are available for construction, as well as annual incentive payments under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).