Low Impact Development Manual for Michigan - OSEH - University ...

In addition to installing vegetation, riparian buffer
restoration may require physical restoration of soils,
topography, or hydrology to achieve the desired result.
Geographic factors such as the presence of steep slopes
may necessitate an expanded buffer to achieve soil
stability. If a river valley is very narrow, the buffer may
be adjusted accordingly.
Applications
Riparian buffers are used adjacent to any wetland and
bodies of water, such as lakes, streams, swales, and
detention ponds. They are not typically applicable in
upland areas where water bodies are not present. While
riparian buffers provide significant water quality and
ecological benefits, they have only very little benefit
for volume control, unless they have some ability to
trap and rapidly infiltrate water. Therefore, they should
be used with other BMPs that will fulfill any volume
control requirements.
Source: JFNew
Restoring riparian buffers can be applied in many
stettings:
1. Adjacent to permanent or intermittent streams,
2. At the margins of lakes or ponds,
3. At the margin of intermittent or permanently
flooded, environmentally sensitive, open water
wetlands,
4. On karst formations at the margin of sinkholes and
other small groundwater recharge areas, and
5. Between manicured lawns, cultivated areas or
hardscape and swales, streams or rivers to help
dissipate and treat runoff and help stabilize the tops
of channel banks.
Design Considerations
Restoring riparian buffer areas requires a plan to ensure
long-term success. Below is a summary of the steps
that groups, designers, engineers, or volunteers should
undertake during the planning stages of a riparian buffer
project.
Rouge River streambank stabilization, City of Birmingham, MI
Source: Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.
1. Confirm suitability for restoration
If stream banks are extensively eroded, consider
an alternative location for preparing the riparian
buffer, or consider stream bank restoration first.
Rapidly eroding stream banks may undermine topof-bank
restoration efforts.
2. Analyze site’s physical conditions
Consider site specific factors to determine the
particular width of the individual zones:
• Watershed condition,
• Slope,
• Stream order,
• Soil depth and erodibility,
• Hydrology,
• Seasonal high water table,
• Floodplains,
• Wetlands,
• Streambanks,
• Soil type,
• Vegetation type, and
• Stormwater systems.
LID Manual for Michigan – Chapter 7 Page 271