Study: Upstream Forest Development Results in Significant Loss of Water Quality

The USDA Forest Service has released a press release covering a study from federal researchers analyzing the impacts of forest loss on water quality. The scientists focused on the Southern U.S., where over 80 percent of forests are privately owned and have seen significant reductions due to development, and found, among other items, that developing just 1 percent of forests upstream of an intake could result in an average 0.4 percent increase in the concentration of suspended sediment in the water.

This increases risks to municipalities that draw their water directly from rivers in regions with forest reduction due to development, especially as river water already requires more treatment to become potable. This risk is heightened for rivers in smaller watersheds, as the loss of forested area has a larger impact. Read more at EurekaAlert.