The objective was to apply the most current techniques of stream restoration to determine if a new channel could be designed to fit the existing constraints and meet geomorphological stability criteria. A geomorphologically-based approach has been utilized in analyzing and designing a restoration plan for this stream. Lessons learned in dealing with the all too familiar problems and constraints encountered in this case study will help Prince George's County implement similar measures countywide. Geomorphological Approach Stream channel stability is not a static state. Rather, natural stable streams are characterized by a condition of dynamic equilibrium.
Sediment supply is in equilibrium with sediment transport.
Slow rates of erosion on the outside of meander bends are matched by similar rates of deposition on point bars. Disequilibrium can come about as a result of a change in any one of the variables that govern stream morphology. A disturbance which creates a change in one variable sets up a series of concurrent changes in the others resulting in altered channel patterns. Stream morphology is therefore the result of an integrative process of mutually adjusting variables. One of the disturbances that can result in disequilibrium is the increase in frequency, magnitude, and duration of bankfull flows that result from extensive land development.