Riparian buffers are a major best management practice in the reduction of non point source pollutant loading in waterways, especially in agricultural regions. However, most information developed on buffer effectiveness has occurred within the coastal plain and piedmont regions of the eastern United States. In these areas, broad, flat topography and the presence of shallow clay layers often forces groundwater to flow close to the surface through the buffer prior to discharge to surface waters. Much less research has been conducted in the mountain physiographic regions of the U.S. where topography and other landscape features are usually quite different. The proposed study is vital to the current understanding of riparian buffer zones in mountain regions, since so little information exists. Additionally, there are no definitive studies of the influence of different vegetative types on buffer effectiveness. Thus, substantial resources are currently being directed into buffer practices that may not be the most effective or appropriate for a particular region. The objectives of this project are: 1) to restore buffers on a stream segment in the French Broad River Basin, 2) to investigate the effectiveness of riparian buffer zones in reducing shallow groundwater NO3-N concentrations in both the Coastal Plain and Mountain regions of North Carolina, and 3) to investigate the effect of vegetation type on buffer functions in these two physiographic regions.