Restoring Streams in Cities: A Guide for Planners, Policymakers, and Citizens

Conventional engineering solutions to problems of flooding and erosion are extremely destructive to natural environments. Restoring Streams in Cities presents viable alternatives to traditional practices that can be used both to repair existing ecological damage and to prevent such damage from happening.

Ann L. Riley describes an interdisciplinary approach to stream management that does not attempt to "control" streams, but rather considers the stream as a feature in the urban environment. She presents a logical sequence of land-use planning, site design, and watershed restoration measures along with stream channel modifications and floodproofing strategies that can be used in place of destructive and expensive public works projects. She features examples of effective and environmentally sensitive bank stabilization and flood damage reduction projects, with information on both the planning processes and end results. Chapters provide:

•     background needed to make intelligent choices, ask necessary questions, and hire the right professional help
•     history of urban stream management and restoration
•     information on federal programs, technical assistance and funding opportunities
•     in-depth guidance on implementing projects: collecting watershed and stream channel data, installing revegetation projects, protecting buildings from overbank stream flows.

Profusely illustrated and including more than 100 photos, Restoring Streams in Cities includes detailed information on all relevant components of stream restoration projects, from historical background to hands-on techniques. It represents the first comprehensive volume aimed at helping those involved with stream management in their community, and describes a wealth of options for the treatment of urban streams that will be useful to concerned citizens and professional engineers alike.

Ann L. Riley is Executive Director of the Waterways Restoration Institute, where she works on the design and installation of stream restoration projects. She is involved in the evaluation of national water policy for the National Research Council, the Institute for Water Resources, and federal task forces.

A Video Tour of Ecological Restoration Techniques Led by Anne Riley (Video documentary - 61 min) is available from www.urbanstreamrestoration.com.