As might be expected, overgrazing a pasture increases both the water and sediment yield for the drainage. Overgraging also prohibits rerproduction by riparian trees and shrubs while trampling of uplands compacts the soil and increases the ratio of runoff to infiltration, thereby increasing peak flows while decreasing baseflows. Improper grazing of meadows, particularly leaving the cattle in the pasture during dry seasons when the riparian zone is subjected to intense use, results in downcutting by the stream so that it no longer accesses its floodplain. Consequences include loss of ground water recharge and storage, flashier stream flows, and severe loss of habitat for fish and wildlife. Increase peak discharge of receiving streams.
Lower base flows with higher summer temperatures.
Smooth surfaces and runoff channels speed movement of water to streams, making the runoff regime flashier, with shorter time lags and higher peaks. This reduces stream damage but may cause ground-water pollution. The construction phase has the most severe impact with enormous sediment yields. Such a construction event causes major downstream effects. These beds often block the central portions of the channel, causing the erosive force of the water to strike the banks so the stream bed widens while agrading.