Stream Corridor Restoration

This section is under development and review by the NRCS Stream Corridor Team Workgroup.  Purpose is to provide an easy to access repository of technical training and design resources for NRCS employees.

NRCS Stream Corridor Team Workgroup co-chairs are Kathryn Boyer, Fisheries Biologist, WNTSC, Portland, OR and Jon Fripp, Stream Mechanics Engineer, NDCSMC, Fort Worth, TX.

NRCS Policy and Guidance Documents

The following is a list of NRCS handbooks and guidance documents which are applicable to stream corridor restoration.

• National Engineering Handbook 653 - Stream Corridor Restoration
• National Engineering Handbook 654 - Stream Restoration Design
• Engineering Field Handbook, Chapter 13 - Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, or Creation
• National Biology Handbook, Subpart B - Ecological Principles for Resource Planners
• National Biology Handbook, Subpart D, Part 640 and 641- Guidance for Effective Implementation and Reporting of Conservation Practice Standard 396, Fish Passage and Practice Standard 395, Stream Habitat Improvement and Management
• Engineering Technical Note 2 - Stream Water Surface Profile Modification for Wetland Restoration

Useful Links

The following federal agency links may provide information useful for stream corridor restoration.

• NRCS Hydraulics and Hydrology Tools and Models
• USDA Plant Material Centers
• USDA Web Soil Survey
• USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center Software
• USACE Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program Technical Notes
• EPA Databases and Sofware
• USGS Water Resources Surface Software
• USGS Surface-Water Data for the Nation

Publications

The following NRCS fact sheets, technical notes, and publications may be useful in stream corridor restoration.

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

A Guide for Planning Riparian Treatments in New Mexico (PDF; 8.0 MB)

Streambank Soil Bioengineering Field Guide for Low Precipitation Areas (PDF; 6.5 MB)

Guidelines for Planning Riparian Restoration in the Southwest (PDF; 546 KB)

Technical Note 39 - Waterjet Stinger (PDF; 699 KB)

Riparian/Wetland Project Note 22 - How to Manipulate Water in a New, Restored, or Enhanced Wetland to Encourage Wetland Plant Establishment (PDF; 230 KB)

Riparian/Wetland Project Note 14 - Harvesting, Propagating, and Planting Wetland Plants (PDF; 317 KB)

Treatment and Practices

This table provides photographs and concept designs of treatment practices that are applicable to stream corridor restoration and/or stabilization.

Item	Photographs (JPG)	Conceptual Plans (PDF)	Conceptual Plans (DWG)
Live cuttings	Irrigated Willow (JPG; 91 KB) Installation Tools (JPG; 101 KB) Pole Planting (JPG; 595 KB) Live Stake (JPG; 559 KB) Close Up (JPG; 189 KB)	Live Pole (PDF; 103 KB) Cuttings Options (PDF; 139 KB)	Live Pole (DWG; 188 KB) Cuttings Options (DWG; 139 KB)
Fascines	Fascine Installation (JPG; 134 KB)	Fascine (PDF; 120 KB)	Fascine (DWG; 162 KB)
Brush mattress	Construction (JPG; 256 KB) Driving stakes (JPG; 267 KB) Tying in (JPG; 558 KB) Washing in (JPG; 498 KB) Completed project 1 (JPG; 464 KB) Completed project 2 (JPG; 226 KB) After 1 year (JPG; 1.0 MB) After 2 years (JPG; 593 KB)	Brush Mattress (PDF; 165 KB)	Brush Mattress (DWG; 184 KB)
Tree revetment	Under construction (JPG; 89 KB) Completed project (JPG; 1.3 MB) After two years (JPG; 74 KB) Also after two years (JPG; 66 KB)	Juniper Revetment (PDF; 120 KB) Log Revetment (PDF; 231 KB) Log Revetment Detail (PDF; 106 KB) Tree Revetment (PDF; 508 KB) Tree Revetment Detail (PDF; 104 KB)	Juniper Revetment (DWG; 136 KB) Log Revetment (DWG; 1.0 MB) Tree Revetment (DWG; 1.18 MB)
Vertical bundles	Digging trench (JPG; 269 KB) Driving stakes (JPG; 268 KB) Washing in (JPG; 282 KB) Placed bundle (JPG; 270 KB) Completed project (JPG; 604 KB) After 2 years (JPG; 589 KB)	Vertical Bundles (PDF; 88 KB)	Vertical Bundles (DWG; 87 KB)
Stream barbs, spurs, vanes, and deflectors	Brush Spur (JPG; 600 KB) Building Spur 1 (JPG; 586 KB) Building Spur 2 (JPG; 596 KB) Spur Revetment Poles (JPG; 565 KB)	Barb - Erodible Bed (PDF; 59 KB) Barb - Resistant Bed (PDF; 87 KB) Hook Vane (PDF; 111 KB) Stream Barb (PDF; 106 KB) Stone Barb (PDF; 188 KB) Vegetated Vane (PDF; 318 KB)	Barb - Erodible Bed (DWG; 144 KB) Barb - Resistant Bed (DWG; 327 KB) Hook Vane (DWG; 225 KB) Stream Barb (DWG; 158 KB) Stone Barb (DWG; 390 KB) Vegetated Vane (DWG; 677 KB)
Grade control	Cross Vane (JPG; 679 KB) Gabion Drop Structure (JPG; 501 KB) Log Drop construction (JPG; 563 KB) Rock Cross Structure (JPG; 596 KB) Stone Drop construction (JPG; 621 KB) Stone Drop Structure (JPG; 816 KB) Step Pool Rock Chute construction (JPG; 667 KB) Step Pool Rock Chute after four years (JPG; 166 KB)	Cross Vane (PDF; 119 KB) Log Check (PDF; 124 KB) Rock Chute (PDF; 200 KB) Sheet Pile Weir (PDF; 110 KB) Step Pool Rock Structure (PDF; 195 KB) Step Pool Rock Chute (PDF; 156 KB) Stone Drop (PDF; 116 KB)	Cross Vane (DWG; 240 KB) Log Check (DWG; 374 KB) Rock Chute (DWG; 349 KB) Sheet Pile Weir (DWG; 193 KB) Step Pool Rock Structure (DWG; 195 KB) Step Pool Rock Chute (DWG; 164 KB) Stone Drop (DWG; 149 KB)
Brush packing, brush layering
Stone and riprap	Rock over willow bundles (JPG; 96 KB) Rock over willow after 3 years (JPG; 60 KB)	Cuttings and Rock (PDF; 140 KB)	CuttingsandRock (DWG; 140 KB)
Lunkers	Lunker placement (JPG; 89 KB) Lunker placement 2 (JPG; 553 KB) Lunker construction (JPG; 618 KB) Lunker after 1.5 years (JPG; 61 KB)	Lunker Assembly (PDF; 230 KB) Lunker Installation (PDF; 168 KB) Lunker Options (PDF; 194 KB) Lunker Placement (PDF; 166 KB)	Lunker (DWG; 413 KB) Lunker Options (DWG; 202 KB)
Brush trench, brush sills	Brush trench watering (JPG; 602 KB) Brush trench (JPG; 578 KB) Brush trench after two years (JPG; 889 KB)
Wattles	Wattle dam (JPG; 915 KB) Wattle fence (JPG; 594 KB) Wattle washing (JPG; 570 KB)	Wattle (PDF; 91 KB)	Wattle (DWG; 100 KB)
Root wads		Root Wad (PDF; 154 KB) Root Wad over stone (PDF; 288 KB)	Root Wad (DWG; 496 KB) Root Wad over stone (DWG; 1.0 MB)
Log cribs	Log crib backfilling (JPG; 93 KB) Log crib construction (JPG; 497 KB) Log crib after 1.5 years (JPG; 61 KB) Log crib after two years (JPG; 631 KB)	Log Crib (PDF; 204 KB) Log Toe Protection (PDF; 92 KB)	Log Crib (DWG; 631 KB) Log Toe Protection (DWG; 243 KB)
Gabion and Gabion type structures	Wireface construction 1 (JPG; 240 KB) Wireface construction 2 (JPG; 213 KB) Wireface after two years (JPG; 609 KB)	Green Gabion (PDF; 311 KB) Green Gabion - Low Bank (PDF; 203 KB) Gabion Wall with Mat (PDF; 232 KB) Gabion Wireface Wall (PDF; 131 KB) Geocell Bank Protection (PDF; 112 KB)	Green Gabion (DWG; 575 KB) Green Gabion - Low Bank (DWG; 239 KB) Gabion Wall with Mat (DWG; 135 KB) Gabion Wireface Wall (DWG; 136 KB) Geocell Bank Protection (DWG; 158 KB)
Stone sill	Stone sill (JPG; 293 KB) Stone sill after one year (JPG; 253 KB) Stone sill after two years (JPG; 68 KB)	Stone Sill (PDF; 88 KB)	Stone Sill (DWG; 213 KB)

Planned Workshops

The following is a partial list of known NRCS workshops related to stream corridor restoration.

Streambank Stabilization Workshop

Description: Presentation of a variety of bank and grade stabilization techniques used in stream stabilization. Training is focused on technical design and construction issues. Students will develop concept designs in the field.

Date: March 4 & 5, 2009

Location: Indiana

Technical POC: Jon Fripp, Ben Doerge

Streambank Stabilization and Restoration Workshop

Description: Presentation of a variety of bank and grade stabilization techniques used in stream stabilization and restoration. Training is focused on technical design and construction issues. Students will develop concept designs in the field.

Date: April 20 - 24, 2009

Location: Colorado

Technical POC: Jon Fripp, Kathryn Boyer, Richard Weber

Streambank Stabilization and Restoration Workshop

Description: Presentation of a variety of bank and grade stabilization techniques used in stream stabilization and restoration. Training is focused on technical design and construction issues. Students will develop concept designs in the field.

Date: TBD

Location: New Mexico

Technical POC: Jon Fripp, Kathryn Boyer, Richard Weber

Streambank Soil Bioengineering Workshop

Description: Presentation of streambank soil bioengineering techniques. Students assist in the construction of a restoration project.

Date: October 6 - 9, 2009

Location: Idahoa

Technical POC: Chris Hoag, Jon Fripp

Spreadsheet Tools

The following Excel spreadsheets contain equations that are presented in sections of NEH 654. These spreadsheet tools are used in some of the training workshops and classes. The names of each spreadsheet tool refer to the chapter or section of NEH 654 where the equations are presented and described. Users are encouraged to carefully read each section pertaining to the spreadsheet in question. Please read the notes and comments on the cover page for each spreadsheet. It is important for users to recognize that each Excel spreadsheet tool has specific uses and limits of applicability. The user assumes responsibility for the selection and application of these tools. The user should also check all of the computed results for reasonableness and accuracy.

The following documents require Microsoft Excel.

NEH654-CH5-Log-PearsonIII_Flood-Frequency_Computations-vs031606.xls (XLS; 1.13 MB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Contrasting_Channels_vs4-0.xls (XLS; 1.65 MB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Meander_Pattern_vs4-1.xls (XLS; 199 KB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Reference_Reach_Survey_vs4-1_L.xls (XLS; 2.77 MB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Regime_Equations_vs4-0.xls (XLS; 139 KB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Sediment_Equations_vs4-0.xls (XLS; 139 KB)

NEH654-CH10-STREAMtools-Two-Stage_X-Section_Plots_vs4-0.xls (XLS; 1.34 MB)

NEH654-CH13-Armor_Layer-vs031606.xls (XLS; 71 KB)

NEH654-CH13-Equilibrium_Slope_MPM-vs031606.xls (XLS; 77 KB)

NEH654-CH13-Pebble_Count_Calculator-vs031606.xls (XLS; 85 KB)

NEH654-CH13-Standard_Infinite_Slope-vs031606.xls (XLS; 78 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Gabion_Wall_Stability-vs031606.xls (XLS; 123 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Rock_Chute-vs031606.xls (XLS; 464 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Root_Wad_Calculator_vs071802.xls (XLS; 210 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Soil_Anchor_Calculator-vs031606.xls (XLS; 82 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Stone_Sizing-vs031606.xls (XLS; 397 KB)

NEH654-CH14-Use-of-Articulating-Concrete-Block-vs031606.xls (XLS; 77 KB)

Training Materials

Training tree

Suggested sequence of training for stream corridor restoration. (To be supplied later.)

Power Points (To be supplied later.)

• Overview of stream restoration issues
• Overview of fish passage issues
• Overview of floodplain wetland issues
• Overview of aesthetics, human impacts, perception, and sustainability of stream corridors