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Restoration Techniques:
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Watershed Technology Electronic Catalog (WTEC)
The demand for knowledge about technologies and management practices to restore, protect and enhance water quality and watershed ecosystems has never been higher. The WTEC is a collection of introductory information related to the restoration and protection of streams. The WTEC includes diagrams as well as text concerning over 150 different watershed management practices grouped into 11 main categories. Some diverse examples include instream fish habitat structures, fencing, revegetating techniques, erosion control structures, and soil bioengineering practices.
Information on these practices has been compiled in one central location to provide a starting point for watershed managers and restoration practitioners, who will eventually develop more site-specific designs and plans tailored to their project site and watershed. This website can expose the user to many different engineering designs for streambank protection practices, but users are cautioned that the selection and use of any technology is highly site-specific and must be based on careful analysis, planning and appropriate technical design and skills. Not all practices are appropriate for all types of streams and watersheds.
Each practice in the WTEC is documented with a diagram and explanatory text that is available for download. The diagrams range from general, conceptual drawings to detailed diagrams similar to those in engineering contract documents. The 11 main directories include:
| Fencing Pollution Control Revetments Shaped Slopes Urban Plantings Watershed |
Instream Improvements Recreation Facilities Roads and Crossings Soil Bioengineering Hydraulic Structures |
Readers interested in restoration are also encouraged to visit the Stream Corridor Restoration Handbook Website. This site describes a manual on restoration, entitled Stream corridor restoration: principles and practices. This document is the product of a multi-disciplinary writing team assembled from 15 federal agencies and numerous private and academic organizations. It provides a very comprehensive framework for undertaking a multi-disciplinary approach to stream corridor restoration.