Overlay Zoning for Source Water Protection

---

Water resources are typically understood as part of a coupled natural-human system. This understanding has been predicated on the undeniable observation that humans and the natural environment influence each other at the local, regional, and global scales.

While water resources are impacted by human activity in many direct and indirect ways, land use and land cover change are especially notable as being heavily driven by human patterns of growth and change. Deforestation and increases in impervious surfaces are known to greatly alter local hydrology. Impacted watersheds suffer from flash floods throwing erosion and sedimentation regimes out of balance resulting in habitat loss and limitations of water quantity/availability. Point and nonpoint pollution from land use stand to contaminate watersheds, undermining their ability to support nature and humans.

This issue of Zoning Practice answers a series of questions toward the goal of forwarding an understanding of how land-use regulation — particularly zoning — can and should be used for source water protection.

---

Details