PROTECTING SURFACE WATER FROM MILITARY ACTIVITY WITH RIPARIAN BUFFERS AND LOW WATER STREAM CROSSINGS

Non-point source (NPS) pollution has been called the nation’s largest water quality problem, and its reduction is a major challenge facing our society today. As of 1998 over 290,000 miles of river, almost 7,900,000 acres of lake and 12,500 square miles of estuaries failed to meet water quality standards. Military training maneuvers have the potential to significantly alter land surfaces in a manner that promotes NPS pollution, resulting in the inability of military installations to meet water quality standards and the decline of training lands. Military readiness depends upon high quality training. Effective maneuver training requires large areas of land and creates intense stress on this land. Environmental protection requirements place additional restrictions on land use and availability. Because military training schedules are set well in advance to make the best use of installation training facilities and National Training Centers, there is little flexibility to modify training events and maintain readiness. In order to avoid maneuver restrictions, proactive management plans must be developed giving commanders the information they need to assess the environmental cost of training and management practices that reduce the environmental impact.