Stream and Bank Stabilization, Best Practices and Challenges

Understand the processes driving stream and bank instability and learn the techniques used to help alleviate stressed environments.

Our nation's rivers and streams have felt the pressure of colonization and development for the past several hundred years. These stressors along with historical stabilization techniques negatively affect stream processes and have thrown some of our most precious resources out of equilibrium. Mass wasting and sedimentation, a loss of aquatic habitat, threatened infrastructure and floodplain encroachments are common throughout riverine systems across the globe, and affect the water bodies they feed. This topic will educate you on recognizing some of the processes driving stream and bank instability and provide the background on techniques currently used to help alleviate stressed environments. Discussion on construction considerations for these practices will also be included within this topic. Additionally, a portion of this presentation will be focused on how stream stabilization has been used recently to help improve water quality to receiving waters, and consideration as to its application when meeting local and state Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements for sediment and nutrient loading.