Temesgen,

Do you mean distance from flowing streams for use in drinking, cooking, transportation, pottery production, etc.? Or do you mean distance from flowing streams for safety and flooding concerns? If for use, then is there a reason for not including all sources of water?

Hi Temesgen,

Riparian buffers (defined here as the distance extending from stream side at base flow to a distance to be determined as having a direct effect on the water quality and quantity of the stream itself. It all comes down to what we plan to use that land for as to determining the distance, and how much area is needed for the land cover and organisms that depend on that particular type of environment to continue thriving, if that is important, and I think it should be...there are _many_  books and articles on the subject) are dependent on a variety of factors, and really far too many to delve into here. However, some of the big factors are things like vegetative cover, hyporheic zone, parent geology, soil types, hillslope geomorphology, among others (see Streams and Groundwaters, 2000, ed. Jones and Mulholland, as well as Influences of Forest and Rangeland Management on Salmonid Fishes and Their Habitats, 1991, ed. W.R. Meehan), and I'm not even approaching urban issues. Oh, as a general, quick and easy book on teaching hydrology to ecologists, you might try to get your hands on Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists, 1996, N.C. Gordon, T.A. McMahon, and B.L Finlayson...great book for ecologists to learn what hydrologists do, and you'll likely need that unless you  already have all the equipment and expertise at hand. I offer this only because I am unable to determine exactly what you need according to your question, so I'm trying to swing wide in case this is new to you. If not, my apologies.

I think what I'm really trying to say is that there is no one minimum distance for all stream side development types. It will require baseline measurements and monitoring over the years to make sure the riparian area remains functional, as it is directly tied to the function of the stream. And I'm not saying that development beyond that will not have a deleterious effect on the riparian area and the stream. As the ecology mantra and chant goes, "everything affects everything", "everything is related to everything" and, "it depends". Good luck, and I hope this at least points you in a worthwhile direction. Cheers, Bob

Hi Temesgen

Many factors motivates the settlement near the rivers (see the earliest answers)

For example see:

mesolithic settlement:

T. Galiński 2011; Organizacja terytorialna osadnictwa łowców mezolitycznych. Studia na przykładzie obszaru rynny plejstoceńskiej dolnej Odry, "Archeologia Polski", 56(1-2): 89-133.

http://rcin.org.pl/Content/49538/WA308_P321_67197_Organizacja-terytori_I.pdf

early neolithic settlement

M. Dębiec 2006; Terytorium eksploatowane przez ludność osady kultury ceramiki wstęgowej rytej w Łańcucie, stan. 3, woj. podkarpackie, "Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia", 1: 29-62.

http://www.archeologia.univ.rzeszow.pl/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/analecta_1/02_Debiec.pdf

Best Regards

Maciej Wawrzczak