Stream restoration or river restoration, also sometimes referred to as river reclamation, is work conducted to improve the environmental health of a river or stream, in support of biodiversity, recreation, flood management and/or landscape development.

This Fact Sheet will describe the make-up of a stream corridor, common conventional stabilization techniques, the natural stream restoration and enhancement process with specifics of the design component, and an example of natural stream restoration in Oklahoma.

Stream restoration is the re-establishment of the general structure, function and self-sustaining behavior of the stream system that existed prior to disturbance. It is a holistic process that requires an understanding of all physical and biological components of the stream system and its watershed. Restoration includes a

In the last three years the USDA-NRCS has applied streambank stabilization measures to over 412 miles of streams. Since 1982, $4.2 billion was spent on 3,426 streambank erosion projects . Data are unavailable for thousands of similar projects intended to protect streambanks and riparian corridors (Bernhardt et al. 2005).

Designing stream restorations requires appropriate training and experience, especially to identify conditions where various approaches, tools, and techniques are most applicable, as well as their limitations for design.

This guidebook is meant to assist stream restoration practitioners, watershed planners, environmental engineers, and others in considering the restoration options available for use in their own streams and geography and to give “lessons learned” from decades of using these practices in the field.

The primary topics incorporated into this guidance include general methods, an overview of stream processes and restoration, case studies, data compilation, preliminary assessments, and field data collection.

In the late 1980s to the present, stream restorat on pract t oners began to fully embrace green eng neer ng and how-to gu des and a one-s ze-fits-all des gn approach prol ferated. New products and mater als emerged, such as geosynthet cs, spec al zed plant ng equ pment, as well as select on and release of mproved plant spec es for r par an areas.

Abstract: Stream restoration, or more properly rehabilitation, is the return of a degraded stream ecosystem to a close approximation of its remaining natural potential.

Stream restoration has come a long way from the days of simply lining banks with riprap or other artificial structures to control erosion and stabilize banks. While well-intentioned, these methods sometimes led to unintended consequences, like disrupting the stream’s natural flow or harming aquatic habitats. Today, the science of stream ...