Streambank and bed degradation
Impact
The term streambank refers to the edges of a stream channel to the top of the high water mark and streambed refers to the bottom of the stream channel. Both the streambank and bed are susceptible to degradation through natural and human induced causes. Human induced degradation is usually associated with altered flows and land disturbances and includes but is not limited to riparian vegetation clearing, livestock trampling, dredging, channel straightening and infrastructure development (e.g. construction of roads, bridges, dams and/or weirs).
Suggested indicators: Gully erosion+, In-steam habitat+
Streambank and bed degradation may be associated with:
| Potential associated impacts | Suggested indicators+ |
| Increased water sediment load and contamination |
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| Increased over-land flooding and soil waterlogging leading to development of swamp/marsh areas |
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| Loss of streambank and bed habitat |
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| Groundwater incursion |
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| Channel widening and bed lowering |
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+ Descriptions of indicators (PDF, 76K)* provides a brief description of each indicator including techniques and purpose.
* Requires Adobe Reader
Last updated 7 September 2010
