This movement of loose dirt into streams is called siltation . The murkiness of the water is referred to as turbidity . The problem of pesticides, fertilizers, animal wastes, and sediments in runoff can be increased by livestock grazing along the stream. Vegetation that grows near streams acts as a buffer . This vegetation absorbs toxins and nutrients and traps sediments before they reach the stream.
Livestock remove the vegetation.
Without a vegetation buffer, pollutants can move freely from a field into a stream. In addition, livestock increase erosion of banks along streams, and thereby increase the occurrence of siltation. All rights reserved.