SB1789

Riparian Protection and Water Quality Practices Act mandates buffer zones for water bodies to protect water quality.

The Riparian Protection and Water Quality Practices Act requires landowners near mapped water bodies to maintain buffers to protect water quality. Buffers must be a continuous strip of perennially rooted vegetation, with specific widths for public waters and drainage systems. Landowners can use alternative practices like retention ponds. The Department of Natural Resources must develop and submit summaries of watercourses to local water management authorities by July 1, 2026. Local authorities must incorporate these recommendations into their water management plans by July 1, 2027.