Estimating Annualized Riparian Buffer Costs for the Harpeth River Watershed

Water pollution from nonpoint sources is increasingly a focal point for efforts to reduce water quality impairments. These efforts often require or subsidize riparian buffer strips. However, the costs of these buffer strips are not always well understood. This article estimates the annualized costs of establishing and maintaining 45.7-meter (150-feet) riparian buffer strips on all agricultural land adjoining a waterway in Tennessee's Harpeth River watershed. A mandatory requirement for buffer strips of this width would result in 4,955 hectares (12,245 acres) of buffer strips at an annualized cost of $1.3 million. A supply curve for buffer strips is also constructed.