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5.2 Other Benefits Of BMPs.

The origin of BMPs lies in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq), commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act (CWA). It directs States to develop programs to control nonpoint-source water pollution and to improve quality of water affected by such pollution. It directs States to identify BMPs and other measures to reduce nonpoint source pollution loadings, and to identify programs for BMP implementation. This law is addressed in more detail in Chapter Aqua-1 and Chapter Socio-3.

Other benefits of BMPs to landowners and the public can be significant. They include improved water quality and aquatic habitat, protected site productivity, and more stable watershed yields. Streamside management zones (SMZs), for example, protect water quality, but also provide habitat for riparian-dependant species, wildlife travel corridors, sources for large woody debris to maintain stream stability and aquatic diversity, and aesthetic benefits. While these benefits exist and can be significant, the exact nature and degree of benefit depend heavily on specific-site conditions and circumstances. These variables make it impractical to explicitly address ancillary BMP benefits in this Chapter, other than to recognize their relevance and need for further study.

BMPs in this Chapter, then, are those designed to protect the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of water quality, and their effectiveness is evaluated in this context..