Land Use

As land transitions from vegetated forests and wetlands to agricultural lands and eventually urbanized paved areas, the hydrology of watersheds are altered and water quality is impacted. Research has found that estimating percentages of forest cover, riparian buffers, cropland, and impervious cover can predict watershed health. Understanding and documenting land cover and use are instrumental in understanding the hydrology of the Crab Meadow Watershed. Land use analysis can identify areas with the high quality subwatersheds that should be protected, areas that have the highest probability of contributing nutrients to the watershed, or areas where stewardship efforts should be focused, as a few examples.

The Town of Huntington will use the land cover and use data currently being collected during the watershed characterization study to develop a hydrologic model to help inform planning decisions associated with the Crab Meadow Watershed.

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