Practice description
Channel and shoreline restoration is a management strategy aimed at reestablishing natural channel or shoreline form (banks, channel, flood plain, flow) and function (fish and wildlife habitat, and aesthetics) that existed prior to human modifications or disturbance. In their natural state, stream and river channels and lake and pond shores occur in a state of dynamic equilibrium. Seasonal variability in flows and water levels continuously act to erode and deposit sediment throughout the shorelines of streams and lakes within the confines imposed by local geology and topology. This continuous process constantly recreates habitats, linking waterbodies with their floodplains and resulting in complex everchanging habitats for fish, plants, and invertebrates.
Land use changes within the watershed such as development and vegetation change or removal and changes directly to waterbodies including channelization, damming and culverts, and stream bank armoring, alter this balance by generally fixing conditions into more stable unchanging states or conversely create unstable conditions from frequent or extreme disturbances. For example, dams and the impoundments they create reduces the power of flowing water resulting in the simplification and stabilization of stream channels. However, because the removal of dams or other critical infrastructure is not always a restoration option, other remedial actions can be taken to attempt to restore natural stream structure and function within the confines of existing disturbances.
Goals and ecological processes
The goals of channel and shoreline restoration is to restore the form (banks, channel, flood plain and flow) and function (fish and wildlife habitat, bug habitat, and aesthetics) of stream channels and lake shorelines through practices that reestablish or closely approximate natural stream flows (e.g., streams) or water level fluctuations (e.g., ponds) and sediment erosion and depositional patterns. Human modification of landscapes and water management practices alter natural seasonal patterns in flow and water levels which can result in the simplification, and homogenization of aquatic habitats at the expense of aquatic wildlife
Target Habitats and Species
Deep headwater and isolated lakes and ponds
Shallow drainage lakes and ponds
Shallow headwater and isolated lakes and ponds
All freshwater fish and plant species, aquatic macroinvertebrates, amphibians, snakes, muskrats are a few examples of species that are impacted by channel and shoreline restoration.
Associated Practices
Culvert replacement & restoration
Floodplain & buffer restoration
Water quantity restoration
Methods
Practice details
Specific remediation actions will depend on the type and scale of disturbance and upstream watershed condition of the resource. Scale is an important factor to consider when planning a stream bank or lakeshore restoration project. Little good will come from restoring fish habitat in a small section of stream if fish and invertebrate populations throughout the entire stream are depressed due to large scale impairments to water quality. Large scale disturbances are often driven by upstream land use alterations including the transition of forest to development, agriculture, impervious surfaces, and the presence and number of barriers such as dams and culverts. Technical assistance is recommended to aid proponents in making the best management decision given scale considerations and current conditions.
All restoration actions should be planned with clear and measurable goals in mind. In turn, only restoration action(s) that are best suited to achieve stated goals should be chosen. If possible, restoration efforts should include revisitation schedules to assure restoration goals are continued to be me in the future.
Practice Details
Habitat additions: Where lakes shore or stream channel habitat has been removed or is lacking due to other associated disturbance, managers may choose to add structure to supplement habitat such as trees, tree trunks, stumps, boulders, or deflection dams and cribbing. These structures are strategically placed and often anchored to the substrate in areas where they will not endanger downstream infrastructure if dislodged or present navigational hazards.
Culvert replacement and dam removal: See practices documents specific for these management actions.
Flow deflectors: In areas where streams have been manually straightened are incised, or where natural meandering has been curtailed, flow deflectors may be added to attempt to coax the stream to meander. Deflectors can be logs, spurs of rocks or riprap that typically anchored to and extend from the shore and concentrate and direct water in a way that creates scour and new habitats. These structures are often favored when critical infrastructure limits the capacity of the stream to meander naturally.
Revegetation: Where stream or lake shores have been cleared of vegetation for agriculture, development, or armoring, vegetation such as native grasses, trees, shrubs can be planted to create a more natural shoreline. Vegetated shorelines intercept sediment and nutrients running off the landscape, resist erosion, provide the opportunity for infall of large wood which provides aquatic habitat, and are important to many bugs and semi aquatic species such as frogs and salamanders.
Reconnecting floodplains: See practices documents specific for these management actions.
Daylighting: Where streams have been completely buried, they may be uncovered and converted to a more natural state. Daylighting typically occurs in urban settings where streams have been covered over and piped to facilitate flood protection or convert wetlands to developable land. Daylighting typically involves considerable restoration actions as the stream must reestablish its channel often amongst considerable immutable infrastructure. Even then, flashy flows running off the urban landscape may require continual habitat remediation. Urban greenspaces are aesthetically pleasing and benefit urban communities by providing a natural space close to home.
Planning
In-situ restoration work often requires cooperation with private landowners whose permission is needed to access aquatic habitats. The landowner will need to serve as the applicant in most permitting situations. Any restoration actions taking place within the wetted area of lakes and streams will require wetland permitting and adherence to best management practices in-order to begin work. Technical assistance is recommended when weighing management alternatives within the context of multi-scale impacts.
Examples & additional resources
Riparian restoration in Deerfield Watershed
Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership: A place for trees
Department of Ecological Restoration project map
Additional Resources
Washington State Aquatic Habitat Guidelines Program
The Virginia Stream Restoration & Stabilization Best Management Practices Guide
Garden Centers and Nurseries that sell Native Plants
Shoreland Best Management Practices from Vermont
Stream Corridor and Shoreline Protection
Stream Corridor Restoration-Principles, Processes and Practices