Introduction to Stream Restoration - Hydro-Environmental Analysis: Freshwater Environments - page 227

Alley cropping Contour buffer strips

Crosswind trap strips Field border

Filter strip Grassed waterway

FIGURE 8.12 Examples of conservation buffers. (From NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.)

which a signiicant quantity of irrigation water, as a result of the irrigation method, runs off the
end of the irrigated ield. Most tailwater systems also collect rainfall that may run off the irrigated
ield. Natural reservoirs, such as the playa lakes located in plains areas, may serve to capture both
irrigation runoff and rainfall runoff and may be used as part of a tailwater system. Also, the capture
and reuse of tailwater can improve the water quality of downstream reaches of rivers, streams, or
waterways, but may also reduce agricultural drain low and the amount of water in those down-
stream reaches.

8.4.2 b ackwater S edIMent d redGInG
River development projects have commonly resulted in losses of secondary channels and backwa-
ter areas. In addition, backwater areas are generally depositional and are degraded by excessive