Stream Care Guide:

Management Tips for Streamside Property Owners

Erosion

Check for sources of erosion on your property and adjoining property; treat them promptly.

Any spot where flowing water meets unprotected soil has the potential for erosion problems. Typical examples include dirt roads, driveways or parking areas, earthen drainage ditches, overgrazed pasture or corrals, exposed streambanks or patches of bare or sparsely vegetated earth — perhaps even your vegetable garden or orchard.

Poorly constructed and maintained roads and driveways are one source of erosion problems. A well-built road is easier on your vehicle, requires less maintenance, and does not cause erosion problems.

For example, if rain runoff is eroding small gullies down your unpaved driveway, you need to keep the water from concentrating on the road surface. This can be done by sloping your road so that the water runs off it to either side, or by excavating waterbars (crossroad drainage) or dips which deflect the flow to the side onto stable ground (vegetated area) which can carry the runoff without eroding (see graphic).

Proper installation and maintenance of culverts is essential in order to avoid future problems for both yourself and the stream. The road building guide listed at the back of this pamphlet provides useful information on almost all aspects of small, private road construction.

Eroding drainage ditches may be stabilized with a lining of filter fabric (a polypropylene textile used to keep soil separate from water) and rock. Three-quarter-inch gravel may be adequate to protect a channel that carries water from a roof downspout. Larger rocks or small "checkdams" made of board, rocks, or native materials are needed to stabilize a larger or steeper channel.

In general, bare soil does not stay bare for long in the foothills. It either becomes cloaked with vegetation, or it erodes and moves downhill. If it moves downhill, it's likely to end up in a stream. If it ends up in a stream, it can aggravate flood problems and wreak havoc on fish and wildlife. Keep your soil where it belongs: on the ground, not in the streams!

Streambank Stabilization

The toe of eroding banks can be protected by a blanket of filter fabric with rocks on top in order to keep the stream from eating away at the bank during high flows. Throwing a few tires or slabs of concrete over the bank will usually create more rather than less erosion.

Seek professional advice. The Placer County Resource Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (see References and Resources) provide excellent erosion control information and are good places to start. You also may need a Stream Alteration Agreement from the California Department of Fish and Game as well as a grading permit from the County Department of Public Works before you do anything to your streambank.

A Clean Water Act, Section 404 permit (from the Army Corps of Engineers) and a 401 permit (from the Regional Water Quality Control Board) may be required.

For more information on the permits that could be required and the agency involved, please see the References and Resources section.

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