For many years, most people believed gravel mining represented an acceptable and effective method of maintaining stream stability with limited damages to resource integrity. After a decade and a half of observation, evaluation and research by resource professionals in Vermont, however, the Agency of Natural Resources is convinced that a river system's reactions to excessive excavation far outweigh the benefits of gravel mining. Without going into a lot of detail about sediment transport in rivers, which is a highly technical and complex subject, we can state that removing large volumes of gravel from a river generally tends to increase the instability of the system. Erosion and deposition are ongoing, dynamic processes that work together in river systems forming the features and communities we know today.
River systems are inherently unstable, with an energy produced by the force of gravity.
Ever since the retreat of the glaciers thousands of years ago, Vermont streams have been actively reshaping the landscape upon which we have recently settled and imposed our own particular expectations and values. The reality is that the streams aren't acting any differently than they ever have. Continually fighting to keep the rivers in the location and condition we want for them increases the risk of system instability. The best we can do is recognize how our historic stream encroachments and land uses have influenced the way a river system interacts with our lives. We need to go forward avoiding those practices which have a negative impact on the river and ultimately on our society and its economy.