Making stream restoration more sustainable: a geomorphically, ecologically, and socioeconomically principled approach to bridge the practice with the science

Abstract

Despite large advances in the state of the science of stream ecology and river mechanics, the practitioner-driven field of stream restoration remains plagued by narrowly focused projects that sometimes even fail to improve aquatic habitat or geomorphic stability-two nearly universal project goals. The intent of this article is to provide an accessible framework that bridges that gap between the current state of practice and a more geomorphically robust and ecologically holistic foundation that also provides better accounting of socioeconomic factors in support of more sustainable stream restoration outcomes. It points to several more comprehensive design references and presents some simple strategies that could be used to protect against common failure mechanisms of ubiquitous design approaches (i.e., regional curves, Rosgen planform, and grade control). From the simple structure design to the watershed-scale restoration program, this may be a first step toward a more geomorphically principled, ecologically holistic, and socioeconomically sustainable field.