Habitat Restoration

Streams and wetlands are critical for water supply, wildlife habitat, recreation, our scenic landscapes, and quality of life. Streams and wetlands are dynamic, complex systems and many have been disrupted by dams, roads, mining, agriculture, timber harvest, and urbanization.

Erosion along streams is a serious issue —it threatens productive farmland, roads, and homes. Eroded material also fills stream beds and negatively impacts habitat of fish and mussels.

Stream Restoration

Stream restoration is the re-creation of the natural functions and features.

Restoration covers a broad range of measures including removing or minimizing disturbances, installing structures and planting vegetation to protect streambanks and provide habitat, and reshaping unstable stream reaches into “naturally designed” channels and associated floodplains.

CVI also restores wetlands, often associated with stream corridors, which provide critical habitat for animals while filtering pollutants and capturing rain and snowmelt. Restoration of wetlands often involves removing structures designed to drain wetlands and reintroducing native plants.

Habitat restoration technicians gather data in the field and conduct assessments for potential stream restoration project.
A construction excavator reshaping a streambank as part of a stream and habitat restoration project.

Improving Habitat

These actions work together to prevent the loss of property from erosion and improve habitat for fish, mussels, birds and other species that live in or near streams and wetlands.

CVI helped pioneer natural restoration techniques in the region, and our staff have unparalleled expertise in planning, designing, constructing, and evaluating the success of restoration projects.  

We are pleased to assist local communities, clients, and agency partners to develop both grant-funded and fee-based projects.

CVI staff work on a range of restoration projects to protect property from erosion and improve habitats for people, plants and animals.
CVI staff work on a stream restoration in a suburban area to prevent flooding and streambank erosion and to improve habitat for local wildlife.
A restored stream with ladder structures and anchoring, illustrating successful habitat restoration and natural stream design technique.
An active restoration site with heavy machinery and staff installing instream rock structures to recreate natural stream characteristics and create habitat for fish and other aquatic species.

Our Capabilities

  • Assess stream conditions and restoration options

  • Perform wetland delineation

  • Draft conceptual designs and budgets

  • Create watershed and mitigation plans

  • Develop final designs and construction specifications

  • Provide regulatory agency coordination and permit applications

  • manage construction contracting and planting

  • Provide construction stakeout and as-built drawings

  • Conduct long-term monitoring and reporting

Habitat Restoration and Streambank Stabilization

Before

Before restoration: A severely eroded streambank collapses into the stream, filling the streambed with soil and other nutrients, causing further erosion and degradation of water quality.

After

After restoration: The same streambank, now stabilized with a riparian buffer of native plants and erosion control structures.

Before

Before streambank stabilization: Water pours from a perched and broken culvert, scouring the waterbed below and undercutting highly eroded and destabilized stream banks.

After

After streambank stabilization: Water flows unimpeded through a large elliptical culvert and exits gently downstream where lush vegetation further slows and absorbs the movement of water.