Vegetative Filter Strips Reduce Runoff Losses and Help Protect Water Quality

Potential contamination (pollution) of surface waters with sediment, nutrients, and pesticides in agricultural runoff is an important water quality issue. Conservation tillage has been promoted and adopted by many row crop farmers because of its effectiveness in decreasing exposure to rainfall and reducing runoff and sediment loss. Vegetative filter strips (VFS), also known as buffer strips or buffer zones, increase infiltration, slow runoff, and allow more time for sediment, nutrients, and pesticides to deposit. They are installed down-slope of managed crop or forage areas which have been treated with fertilizer, manures, and/or pesticides. The purpose of VFS is to filter and purify runoff as it flows across the filter, before discharge to receiving waters. They can be established and maintained at field edges, adjacent to water flow paths that discharge to surface waters and can reduce non-point agricultural pollution to acceptable limits. Combining the advantages of conservation tillage with VFS should lead to the maximum deposition of contaminants and reduction in potential runoff losses to help preserve and protect water resources.