Bank reshaping is a construction method whereby an eroded bank is pulled back to a 3:1 or 4:1 slope, often recreating a floodplain bench in the process. After grading, the soil is seeded with vegetation to stabilize the soil and prevent further erosion. Bank reshaping modifies the steep and eroded streambanks to a more gentle slope, allowing space for vegetation to establish.
The floodplain bench is an area designed into the channel construction that allows water to spread out and to slow down during times of high flow (after large rain events or spring snow melt). Slowing the movement of water during storm events results in better water quality and lower amounts of erosion.