Restoring Streams in Cities equips readers with the tools to transform degraded urban waterways into vibrant ecological and community assets—without relying on costly, destructive infrastructure. Whether you're a planner, engineer, advocate, or homeowner, this book rewards you with a smarter, more sustainable way to address flooding, erosion, and stream degradation. Instead of outdated methods that bury or channelize streams, Ann L. Riley offers a proven alternative: working with natural systems to restore ecological balance while protecting people and property. You’ll gain practical strategies rooted in watershed-level thinking, land-use planning, site design, and gentle channel restoration—approaches that repair damage and prevent future problems. The benefit? You’ll walk away with the confidence to initiate or support restoration projects in your own community. The book provides essential background to ask the right questions, hire the right help, and guide smart decision-making. You'll also learn how to access funding and navigate federal programs. Rich with real-world examples and over 100 photos, Restoring Streams in Cities is more than a manual—it’s a call to action with a clear path forward. Readers will leave empowered to turn neglected urban streams into living, resilient systems that protect communities, restore nature, and enhance quality of life. Dr. Ann Riley is the executive director of the Waterways Restoration Institute, and watershed and river restoration advisor for the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board. During her twelve-year tenure with the nonprofit WRI, she has organized, planned, designed, constructed, and funded numerous stream-restoration projects in California and throughout the United States. Her involvement and guidance to community-level nonprofits, as well as her work with local, state, and federal agencies in watershed planning, water quality, water conservation, hydrology, flood management , stream science, and restoration, spans four decades. Her commitment to public policy outreach includes a long history of collaboration with citizen organizations to guide federal and state policy, and she has served on committees for the National Academy of Sciences and the John Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. In both her private- and public-sector work, she has championed jobs and training for conservation and youth corps. In 1982 she cofounded the Urban Creeks Council in California and in 1993 was instrumental in organizing the first conference of the Coalition to Restore Urban Waters, a national network of urban stream and river organizations. In 1984 she spearheaded a program under the auspices of the California Department of Water Resources that continues today to provide grants supporting urban stream restoration. Dr. Riley’s work in river restoration is nationally recognized and she has garnered numerous awards over her long career, including an American Rivers award in1993 for her leadership in establishing a national urban river movement, the California Governors’ Environmental and Economic Leadership award in 2003, and the Salmonid Restoration Federation Restorationist of the Year Award in 2004. Her association with river scientist Luna Leopold reaches back to 1971 in Washington DC, and she completed two graduate degrees under his direction at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Riley is an urban farmer at her home in Berkeley, California, where she raises chickens and bees, grows food, and home-brews mead and beer that win awards at state and county fairs. She is the author of Restoring Streams in Cities and  Restoring Neighborhood Streams , both published by Island Press. Restoring Streams in Cities A Guide for Planners, Policy makers, and Citizens By Ann L. Riley, Luna B. Leopold, Stefen, Dennis O'Connor ISLAND PRESS Copyright © 1998 Ann L. Riley All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-55963-042-9 Contents About Island Press, Dedication, Title Page, Copyright Page, Table of Figures, Acknowledgments, Introduction, CHAPTER ONE - The Basics, CHAPTER TWO - The Urban River Planners, CHAPTER THREE - The Environmental Professionals, CHAPTER FOUR - River Scientists, CHAPTER FIVE - Hydraulic Engineers, CHAPTER SIX - Restoration Is Ancient History, CHAPTER SEVEN - Managing Floodplains, CHAPTER EIGHT - Citizen-Supported Restoration Activities, CHAPTER NINE - A Survey of Urban Watershed and Stream Restoration Methods, Glossary of Terms, Index, About the Author, Island Press Board of Directors, CHAPTER 1 The Basics Basics on Streams Streams are a resource generally taken for granted or completely ignored, but we all live in a watershed. To begin learning about your local streams, become familiar with the watershed they run through and the history that comes with them. What Is a Creek? It has been very much a surprise to me that the most common question phoned into my offic