Effects of land use on streamflow yields of selected constituents for watersheds in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Abstract

Managing watershed land use is vital to the protection of drinking water, recreational oppor-tunities, and stream ecosystem health. However, the effect of land use and management practices on streams typically is difficult to assess and often unmeasured. Nonpoint-source pollution is complex in its sources, transport, impacts, and response to management practices. In six watersheds of Gwinnett County, Georgia, the results of intensive monitoring show the effects of land use on streamflow and on yields of suspended solids, metals, and nutrients.