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Journal Article

Forested Watersheds Provide the Highest Water Quality Among All Land Cover Types, but the Benefit of This Ecosystem Service Depends on Landscape Context

Peter V. Caldwell, Katherine L. Martin, James M. Vose, Justin S. Baker, Travis W. Warziniack, Jennifer K. Costanza, Gregory E. Frey, Arpita Nehra, Christopher M. Mihiar • Science of the Total Environment • 2023
water quality forest hydrology ecosystem services drinking water watershed management

Summary

Links land cover to water quality across the southeastern U.S., demonstrating that forest cover significantly reduces nutrient and sediment concentrations while highlighting forest conservation as key to drinking water supply resilience.

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Abstract

Conversion of natural land cover can degrade water quality in water supply watersheds and increase treatment costs for Public Water Systems (PWSs). We related upstream land cover—forest, other natural land covers, development, and agriculture—to observed and modeled water quality across the southeastern U.S. and specifically at 1,746 PWS drinking water intake facilities.

Why It Matters

Clean drinking water is essential for public health, and forests play a critical role in:

  • Reducing nutrient pollution (nitrogen, phosphorus)
  • Minimizing sediment loads in waterways
  • Lowering water treatment costs
  • Building resilient water supply systems

Key Findings

  1. Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, and Suspended Sediment concentrations decrease significantly with increasing forest cover
  2. Water quality degrades with increasing developed or agricultural cover
  3. Both intake setting and upstream land cover are important determinants of water quality
  4. Small watersheds may experience the largest losses of natural land cover by 2070
  5. Forest conservation can enhance the resilience of drinking water supplies

Regional Context

While there is considerable complexity and variability in the relationship between land cover and water quality, the southeastern U.S. demonstrates clear patterns linking forest cover to improved water quality outcomes.

Citation

Caldwell, P. V., Martin, K. L., Vose, J. M., Baker, J. S., Warziniack, T. W., Costanza, J. K., Frey, G. E., Nehra, A., & Mihiar, C. M. (2023). Forested Watersheds Provide the Highest Water Quality Among All Land Cover Types, but the Benefit of This Ecosystem Service Depends on Landscape Context. Science of the Total Environment, 882, 163550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163550

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