Water quality degrades as the stream becomes shallower, the temperature rises from increased direct sunlight and oxygen levels in the stream drop. This makes it harder for most aquatic life to survive. Stream widening also can affect property - as the bank is washed away, property on the edge goes with it. At that point, local governmental officials usually are called in to fix the problem. Unfortunately, unless the situation is diagnosed correctly, any fix will only be a temporary solution.
Fluvial geomorphology is the science of how moving water shapes the land.
Both disciplines are critical to any successful stream restoration. These firms are located in the St. Louis area. Until the channel bed is stabilized, it does little good to try to solve the bank problems. Grade controls generally are constructed from hard materials such as large rock that will not erode or be moved by the forces of the stream. These materials are strategically placed below an area in the stream where the channel is likely to erode, and across the streambed to stop the downcutting from traveling further upstream.