Streambank Soil Bioengineering: A Proposed Refinement of the Definition

Eroding stream and river banks can threaten agricultural assets, riparian infrastructure, and can significantly impact the environment. There are many different approaches to stabilizing and restoring stream and river banks. Streambank Soil Bioengineering is one of the approaches that are gaining favor for being both cost effective and environmentally sensitive. The term “Streambank Soil Bioengineering” is a broad category of treatments that is often used to encompass any stabilization technique that includes some plant material. The current paper proposes that this broad use of a definition is inadequate for many decision making situations. Communication would be enhanced if techniques are subdivided based on the intended flexibility of the mature and established treatment. This paper proposes that Streambank Soil Bioengineering treatments be classified as either structural based streambank soil bioengineering treatments or plant based streambank soil bioengineering treatments. This distinction is not just based on the material used in the construction of the treatment. The distinction is based on how the resulting bank is to behave over time. Two example projects are presented in this paper which illustrate this distinction.