Baseline Data: 2001-2011 Last Updated: 2011
Impervious cover increases stormwater runoff and decreases infiltration often resulting in faster and higher (often referred to as “flashy”) peaks in streamflow following rainfall. Increased stormwater and decreased infiltration can also affect watersheds by increasing pollution loads in the river and decreasing groundwater contributions to streamflow (baseflow). Higher percentages of impervious cover in a watershed have been linked to decreased species richness and abundance of fluvial fish species in Massachusetts (D. S. Armstrong et al. 2011).
