This brochure gives an overview of some of the solutions. For your particular stream, please contact your district conservationist or the TDEC Environmental Assistance Center near you. Phone numbers are provided on the back page. Keeping Streams Healthy Contour farming helps keep the soil on the land and out of the stream. Landowners can minimize flooding damage by allowing trees and shrubs to grow naturally along streambanks.
Streams are naturally curvy.
These curves, or meanders, help slow down the flow of water and reduce its force, which helps minimize erosion. If a stream has been unaturally straightened, it often will erode its banks and reestablish curves. Fencing cattle out of streams, or providing them with only one access point, helps keep both the cattle and the water healthy. 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.