Spatial Layout of Vegetation Buffer Zones around Water Bodies to Avoid Non-Point Source Pollution in a Mining Area

Abstract

The riparian vegetation buffer zone plays an important role in the prevention and control of non-point source pollution, and consideration should be given to selecting one with a lower cost and better effect. The SWAT model was used to simulate the regulation ability of riparian vegetation buffer zone layout on runoff, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the Jiawang Basin, and five different vegetation buffer zone layout scenarios were set up. The results showed that (1) the SWAT model has good applicability in simulating runoff and water quality in the Jiawang Basin; (2) the reduction rates of runoff, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in continuous forest riverbank buffer zones reached 2.46%, 6.63%, and 9.18%, and their regulatory effects were better than those in grasslands; (3) there is not much difference in the inhibitory effect of forest and grassland on total nitrogen, but the discontinuous forest buffer zone has a better reduction effect on total phosphorus than grassland. Therefore, in the actual arrangement of vegetation buffer zones, it should be tailored to local conditions to achieve ideal non-point source pollution prevention and control effects at a lower cost.