A Landowner's Guide for Stream Management Fact Sheet - PUB3095

Those who own land adjacent to streams in Missouri often face challenges such as excessive gravel deposition, debris, deposited by floods, and eroding banks leading to property loss.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the Missouri Farm Bureau, has developed a document, titled “A Landowner’s Guide to Stream Management,” to provide landowners with information about streambank stabilization, gravel removal, permitting for instream work, and technical and financial assistance. The main goals of this guide are to present information in an easily digestible manner and provide landowners with the knowledge and confidence to tackle their stream issues.

Streambank Stabilization 

There are many types of bank stabilization techniques and structures that landowners may want to use on their property.

Types of rock structures include:

• rip rap
• bendway weirs
• longitudinal peaked stone toe protection 

When using rock, it is important to have properly sized material and key the structures into the bank and bed to increase its chances of success.

Other practices that can prevent erosion include:

• planting willow stakes into streambanks
• planting or maintaining a riparian buffer of trees and other plants adjacent to the stream

Permitting 

The United States Army Corps of Engineers regulates the removal or placement of material in most streams. Landowners interested in stabilizing a bank by placing material may be able to use Nationwide Permit 13, which allows permittees to perform certain bank stabilization projects without applying for a permit if the project meets certain conditions, including being less than 500 linear feet. Projects that do not meet the conditions of Nationwide Permit 13 can still be conducted under a site-specific permit, but this requires an application and evaluation process.

There are other conditions such as General Conditions, Regional Conditions, and a state Water Quality Certification. When in doubt, contact your United States Army Corps of Engineers' regulatory office. United States Army Corps of Engineers staff can help you determine whether you need to apply for a permit and help verify that your project will be compliant with all permit conditions.

Sand and Gravel Mining 

Sand and gravel are important resources commonly excavated from streams for personal or commercial uses. Instream sand and gravel excavation is regulated by United States Army Corps of Engineers using Regional General Permit GP-34M. All sand and gravel operations must abide by the conditions of GP-34M to comply with the Clean Water Act.

Private landowners can excavate 100 cubic yards per bar per year without notifying the United State Army Corps of Engineers but the material must remain on their property and cannot be sold, bartered, or traded, and the excavation must comply with GP-34M.

Commercial excavators who will sell, barter, or trade material are also regulated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Land Reclamation Program and must contact both agencies prior to conducting any excavation.

Removal should be done with a bucket-to-truck method, meaning excavated material should be placed in a truck or other vessel and taken out of the stream. Avoid pushing material around with a fixed blade or stockpiling. Contact the United States Army Corps of Engineers with any questions about permitting.

Financial Assistance 

The major sources of potential financial assistance available to agricultural landowners are County Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Other Useful Information 

A Landowner's Guide to Stream Management covers other topics such as vegetation management; for instance, landowners can use herbicides approved for aquatic use as long as they follow the directions on the label.