This study analyzes the relationships between land use pattern and generation of non-point pollutants in watershed areas. The land use pattern is identified by the area ratio and spatial pattern of impervious surfaces such as roads and roofs of buildi...
This study analyzes the relationships between land use pattern and generation of non-point pollutants in watershed areas. The land use pattern is identified by the area ratio and spatial pattern of impervious surfaces such as roads and roofs of buildings. The intensity of non-point pollutants generation is measured by non-point pollutants load per unit area in a watershed. A regression model is developed to examine the impacts of land use pattern on non-point pollutants generation. The explanatory variables include the amount of rainfall, the duration of preceding non-rainy days, a seasonal dummy, the impervious surface area ratio, the clustering index of buildings, and the distance index of building groups to the rivers, The findings based on the estimation results are as follows: Firstly, a high ratio of impervious surfaces (building and road) increases non-point pollutant loads in the watershed. Secondly, the spatial pattern of impervious surfaces also affects the non-point pollutants load. As buildings are clustered and located near the river, non-point pollutants load increases.