Landowner Tools for Quantifying Multiple Environmental Services of Riparian Vegetation Buffers for Use in WQ Credit Trading in Oregon Watersheds

The purpose of this award is for the grantee to monitor existing riparian restoration sites established by Clean Water Services (the storm and wastewater agency for the Tualatin Basin in Oregon) and Tualatin Basin landowners for the following water quality parameters: water temperature, water nutrient levels, sediment load in the water, fecal bacterial load in the water, and value of Habitat for species of concern. This project will correlate these parameters with riparian vegetation characteristics, using a compilation of existing quantifiable assessment tools and adding a new model to account for future predictability. The resulting single user-friendly tool will be transferable to other watersheds in Oregon and will allow landowners to assess the economic values of riparian buffers and various riparian restoration activities on their agricultural lands in units that correspond to regulatory or market-based drivers. This will provide justification and incentive for using riparian buffers in water quality credit trading programs in Oregon such as the Willamette Ecosystem Marketplace, or through integrated/watershed-scale NPDES permits for clean water agencies. Riparian vegetation buffers have the potential to be valued as an agricultural commodity that enhances environmental sustainability.