United States Department of Agriculture 584-CPS-1

NRCS, NHCP

July 2021

NRCS reviews and periodically updates conservation practice standards. To obtain the current 

version of this standard, contact your Natural Resources Conservation Service State office or 

visit the Field Office Technical Guide online by going to the NRCS website at 

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ and type FOTG in the search field. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD 

CHANNEL BED STABILIZATION 

CODE 584 

(ft)

DEFINITION 

Measure(s) used to stabilize the bed or bottom of a channel. 

PURPOSE 

This practice is used to accomplish one or more of the following purposes: 

• Maintain or alter channel bed elevation or gradient 

• Restore natural streambed function 

• Manage water and sediment transport from a watershed to reduce sediment transport and/or

deposition 

• Manage surface water and groundwater levels in floodplains, riparian areas, and wetlands 

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES 

This practice applies to the beds, below bankfull elevation, of existing or newly constructed alluvial or

threshold channels undergoing damaging aggradation or degradation that cannot be feasibly controlled by

clearing or snagging, establishment of vegetative protection, installation of bank protection, or installation

of upstream water control measures. 

This practice also applies to channels where the removal of barriers to aquatic organism passage would

result in destabilization of the channel bed. 

For treatments at or above the bank toe, refer to NRCS Conservation Practice Standard Streambank and

Shoreline Protection (Code 580). 

CRITERIA 

General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes 

Design and install measures according to a site-specific plan in accordance with all local, State, Tribal,

and Federal laws and regulations. Apply measures that are compatible with improvements planned or

being carried out by others. 

Evaluate effects of channel work on existing structures such as culverts, bridges, buried cables, pipelines,

and irrigation flumes to determine impact on their intended functions. Analyze the quantity and character

of sediments entering the channel reach under consideration based on both present and projected

conditions caused by changes in land use or land treatment and upstream improvements or structural

measures. Select measures that are compatible with the bank or shoreline materials, water chemistry,

channel hydraulics, and slope characteristics, both above and below the waterline. 

Design measures to— 
• Withstand flow duration, depth of inundation, buoyancy, uplift, scour, angle of attack, stream

velocity, and higher-flow conditions, based on acceptable risk. 

• Function stably in the design storm event. 

• Maintain sufficient depth to provide adequate outlets for subsurface drains, tributary streams,

ditches, or other channels. 

• Maintain the appropriate sediment transport regime to avoid detrimental erosion or sedimentation

upstream and downstream. 

• Assess 20 times the bankfull length and/or 2 meander wavelengths of the channel for stability and

compare the site to a nearby reference reach where available. 

• Anticipate ice action, debris impact, and fluctuating water levels. 

• Avoid adverse effects on endangered, threatened, proposed, and candidate species and their

habitats. 

• Avoid adverse effects on archaeological, historical, structural, and traditional cultural properties. 

• Minimize safety hazards to boaters, swimmers, or people using the channel. 

Measures must not— 

• Impair the floodway or floodplain functions. 

• Cause detrimental changes in water surface elevations when water surface elevations are a

concern. 

• Impede the upstream or downstream passage of aquatic organisms unless the objective is to

restrict invasive species access. 

Dispose of and stabilize spoil material from clearing, grubbing, and channel excavation in a manner that

will not interfere with the function of the channel. Protect all disturbed areas around measures from

erosion. Select vegetation or other measures that are best suited for the anticipated site conditions. 

Clear the channel to remove stumps, fallen trees, debris, and sediment bars only when they are causing,

or could cause, detrimental bank erosion, structural failure, or reduction of channel capacity that results in

above average overflows on adjacent floodplains. Retain or replace habitat-forming elements that provide

cover, food, pools, and water turbulence to the extent possible. 

CONSIDERATIONS 

Assess channel stabilization needs in sufficient detail to identify the causes contributing to instability (e.g.,

watershed alterations resulting in significant modifications of discharge or sediment production). Due to

the complexity of such an assessment, consider using an interdisciplinary team and watershed modeling. 

When designing protective measures— 

• Conduct area-wide planning efforts for proper design, function, and management of protective

measures if the design reach involves multiple stakeholders. 

• Consider the changes that may occur in the watershed hydrology and sedimentation over the

design life of the measure. 

• Use woody material removed during construction in the overall practice design. 

• Maintain or improve the habitat value for fish and wildlife, which includes providing cover, lowering

or moderating water temperature, and improving water quality. 

• Improve habitat for threatened, endangered, and other species of concern, where applicable. 

• Maximize adjacent wetland functions and values and minimize adverse effects to existing wetland

functions and values. 

• Protect side channel inlets and outlets from erosion or sedimentation. 

-CPS-2

NRCS, NHCP

584

July 2021
Plan for the type of human use and social and safety aspects when designing protective measures. Use

construction materials, grading practices, vegetation, and other site development elements that enhance

aesthetics and recreational use and maintain or complement existing landscape uses such as pedestrian

paths, climate controls, and buffers. Avoid excessive disturbance and compaction of the site during

installation. 

PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS 

Prepare plans and specifications for specific channel reaches and field sites that describe the

requirements for applying the practice to achieve its intended purpose(s). At a minimum the plan will

include— 

• Topographic map of original and planned ground surface. 

• Stream channel cross section. 

• Drainage area. 

• Description of channel bed material. 

• Velocities and tractive stresses. 

• Safety. 

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

Prepare an operation and maintenance plan that provides specific instructions for operating and

maintaining the system to ensure it functions properly. Provide for periodic inspections and prompt repair

or replacement of damaged components. 

REFERENCES 

USDA NRCS. 2010. National Engineering Handbook (Title 210), Part 653, Stream Corridor Restoration:

Principles, Processes, and Practices. Washington, D.C. https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/

USDA NRCS. 2008. National Engineering Handbook (Title 210), Part 654, Stream Restoration Design.

Washington, D.C. https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/

-CPS-3

NRCS, NHCP

584

July 2021