Wetlands Design for Stormwater Quality and Stream Restoration

Healthy, natural streams provide a wide variety of benefits. Streams can be thrown out of balance, and their beneficial functions degraded, if the amount of water or sediment they convey changes significantly. For example, upstream development can increase the frequency and volume of storm runoff and lead to stream degradation and erosion. The disciplines of hydrology, hydraulics, geomorphology, and biology can be applied to re-create stable, natural stream systems that function under new hydrologic conditions. Riparian vegetation plays a particularly important role in this process. Several case histories of stream restoration and water quality projects are described, with insights shared regarding techniques that have worked well in the Denver metropolitan area.