A natural stream channel remains stable over a wide range of flows, typically accumulating sediment during low flow periods and carrying sediment downstream during high flow periods. Changes to the channel, vegetation, floodplain, flow, or sediment supply may affect the equilibrium and cause the stream channel to become unstable. This course covers procedures for evaluating the stability of a stream channel reach and planning and design for restoration of an unstable stream channel reach to bring it back into a stable condition. 

The course study file consists of the document, "Stream Restoration - A Natural Channel Design Handbook," prepared by the North Carolina Stream Restoration Institute and North Carolina Sea Grant.

This course is intended primarily for civil engineers, agricultural engineers, hydraulic engineers, hydrologists, and geologists. Someone completing this course will gain knowledge about stream channel evaluation and stream channel restoration procedures.

Upon successful completion of this course, the participant will be familiar with:

• An introduction to fluvial processes
• Stream assessment and survey procedures
• Rosgen stream classification systems
• Bankful verification and gage station analysis
• Priority options for restoring incised streams
• Reference reach surveys
• Design procedures
• Structures for stream restoration
• Riparian-buffer re-establishment
• Erosion and sediment control plans
• Flood studies
• Restoration evaluation and monitoring