Stabilization Techniques for Riparian Areas

Riparian zone fencing on rangeland bordering the little Saskatchewan River. Left side is grazed, right side has been protected for one year.

If the riparian area of any water body has been damaged, it cannot hold enough water to feed the roots of vegetation, and cannot protect either the land or the water.

Several techniques are available to stabilize the shorelands or riparian areas next to creeks and rivers:

• Rock riffles (man made rapids or rocked areas in the stream flow) utilizing field stone is an effective means of stabilizing the stream bed in channelized reaches. The riffle areas step the water down through the channel to reduce the velocity and erosive power of the water. The riffles also provide spawning and nursery habitats for fish, while increasing the oxygen content of the water.
  (see front page photo)
• Rotational grazing systems can be used to minimize conflicts with other riparian uses without eliminating access to the riparian zones. Moving cattle from one paddock to another provides access to higher quality forage while not overgrazing the riparian area. This stabilizes the vegetation growth along the shoreline and helps reduce erosion from runoff.
• On-stream watering can be restricted for cattle on pasture. By providing several hard-bottomed and flat areas where the cattle can drink, they tend not to erode the entire river bank. These watering areas consist of a thick layer of gravel embedded in the stream bank where the slope is about 6:1. Fencing is typically installed to prevent access to the adjacent riparian area.
• Off-stream water supplies provide better water quality while eliminating the damage to the river banks from cattle watering. A number of methods can be used to provide the needed water to the cattle, ranging from solar and wind powered pumps to nose pumps where the cattle pump their own water.
• Shorelines within confined livestock areas can be fenced off to prevent livestock access to the stream banks and watercourse. The protected area should be at least 10 m in width from the top of the stream bank. This provides an adequate buffer strip to reduce erosion problems, filter runoff from adjacent land, and enhance the amount of cover, shade and food supply for fish and wildlife along the riparian corridor.
• Stabilizing the eroded areas of stream banks can be accomplished through the placement of rock riprap, resloping and seeding the banks, planting trees, or in the worst cases by installing piling along the highly eroded banks. To provide immediate protection against erosion where the banks have been left bare, perennial grasses and legumes can be seeded to provide protection until trees and native grasses become established.

By stabilizing the banks of the shoreline, reducing erosion, limiting nutrient runoff into streams, and providing instream controls such as rock riffles, streams and lakes have a chance to survive with a viable wildlife and fish population.

The condition of our rivers, lakes, and the associated water quality have been declining over a number of years. It is time we all began to look at how each of us affect streams and lakes through our actions and take steps to repair the damage already created. The future of tomorrow is in our hands today.