Let the Water Do the Work: Induced Meandering, an Evolving Method for Restoring Incised Channels

Let the Water Do the Work is an important contribution to riparian restoration. By "thinking like a creek," one can harness the regenerative power of floods to reshape stream banks and rebuild floodplains along gullied stream channels. Induced Meandering is an artful blend of the natural sciences - geomorphology, hydrology and ecology - which govern channel forming processes. Induced Meandering directly challenges the dominant paradigm of river and creek stabilization by promoting the intentional erosion of selected banks while fostering deposition of eroded materials on an evolving floodplain. The river self-heals as the growth of native riparian vegetation accelerates the meandering process.

Not all stream channel types are appropriate for Induced Meandering, yet the Induced Meandering philosophy of "going with the flow" can inform all stream restoration projects. Induced meandering strives to understand rivers as timeless entities governed by immutable rules serving their watersheds, setting their own timetables, and coping with their own realities as they carry mountains grain by grain to the sea.

Anyone with an interest in natural resource management in these uncertain times should read this book and put these ideas to work.

Bill Zeedyk, innovator of the Induced Meandering concept and principal author of this book, brings a lifetime of experience in natural resource conservation to the practice of river, wetland and riparian restoration. Upon retiring from the U.S. Forest Service with thirty-four years experience in habitat management, Bill founded a small consulting business with the mission of motivating others by developing and advancing simple techniques for healing incised streams and gullied wetlands. He has prepared training materials and conducted numerous hands-on workshops involving professionals, laymen, and volunteers alike. His methods have been adopted by federal, state, and tribal agencies, landowners and conservation organizations, and acclaimed by teachers, scientists, and practitioners in the field.

Van Clothier is involved in stream, wetland, and water harvesting projects all over New Mexico and Southeast Arizona. He has a degree in physics from the University of California and is a student of Dr. David Rosgen. Van has been an apprentice of Bill Zeedyk since 2003 and his company, Stream Dynamics, Inc., provides consultation and on-the-ground work for water harvesting earthworks, stream and arroyo improvement, erosion control, and road maintenance.