Grassed waterway

A study carried out on a grassed waterway during 8 years in Bavaria showed that it can lead to several other types of positive impacts, e.g. on biodiversity.

However, buffer strip can be a synonym, with shrubs and trees added to the plant component, as does a riparian zone.

Runoff generated on cropland during storms or long winter rains concentrates in the thalweg where it can lead to rill or gully erosion.

In contrast, its infiltration capacity is generally not sufficient to reinfiltrate runoff produced by heavy spring and summer storms.

It can therefore be useful to combine it with extra measures, like the installation of earthen dams across the grassed waterway, in order to buffer runoff temporarily.