Learn how historical sediment deposits behind thousands of old mill dams prevent streams from working properly, and how floodplain restoration can restore function, improve water quality, reduce sediment and nutrient pollution, increase groundwater recharge, manage stormwater, reduce flooding, improve habitat, increase wetland acreage, and create naturalized green space.

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• Introduction
• The Past
• The Present
• The Benefits
• The Future

The following pages tell the story of stream systems - stream channels and their adjacent floodplains - in the Eastern United States, particularly in the region known as the Piedmont Province. You will learn how stream systems are supposed to work, what happened to our stream systems when we began to settle the East Coast, and why it is so important to restore them as much as possible to their original condition. You will learn about the numerous components in a stream system and how, when they are working in concert, the benefits are numerous and vital to our environment, our economy, our culture, and our communities.

For some years we've known that all is not well with our rivers and streams, but until recently, we focused our efforts primarily on the water channels. Through the field work and observations we've done at LandStudies, coupled with the invaluable research of our colleagues, Dr. Arthur Parola at the University of Louisville, and Drs. Dorothy Merritts and Robert Walter at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, we now know that much of the work to repair our streams should first be focused on the floodplains and the "legacy sediments" that have filled them.

Floodplain restoration, as described and discussed in the following pages, is based on a restoration that puts the stream channel and floodplain at or very near their historical elevations and locations. What you will read in these pages is only the beginning of a complex, still-evolving tale. Our intent is to help you understand the basics of the story, the value and importance of floodplain restoration, and how properly restored stream systems can benefit you.