A simple solar pump, tanks, ponds and other contained sources can provide fresh water to livestock away from the stream. These pointbars slow the water down, decreasing the damage caused by flooding. One successful method of streambank stabilization is known as bioengineering. Bioengineering uses natural materials such as trees, roots and logs to divert water away from a streambank and stabilize the bank. This drawing illustrates a cedar tree revetment project which uses live cedar trees anchored to the base or toe of the bank.
Cedars are bushy and slow to rot.
As sediment collects in their branches, they provide a natural seedbed for streamside trees such as willows and sycamores to take root and grow. Over time this revetment is stabilized by the growing root systems of the willows and sycamores and the streambank is restored. A simple method to hasten the establishment of stream bank protection is to use live willow stakes cut during winter. Other bioengineering methods include the use of rootwads from downed trees or limited use of large rock to deflect fast-moving water from erodible banks. When unstable streambanks become vertical or undercut, they can be reshaped to a more gentle slope and stabilized with grasses and other vegetation.