ffects on Water
The main effect of prescribed burning on the water resource is the potential for increased runoff of rainfall. When surface runoff increases after burning, it may carry suspended soil particles, dissolved inorganic nutrients, and other materials into adjacent streams and lakes reducing water quality. These effects seldom occur after Coastal Plain burns. Problems can be avoided in hilly areas or near metropolitan water supplies by using properly planned and conducted burns.
Protect streamside zones.
Rainwater leaches minerals out of the ash and into the soil. In sandy soils, leaching may also move mineral through the soil layer into the ground water. Generally, a properly planned prescribed burn will not adversely affect either the quality or quantity ground or surface water in the South.