I've seen rock called rip rap used to shore up banks from erosion although I doubt that it will keep the streambank trees up by itself.

If you notice along the sides of roads, the DOT will make stream breaks with rip rap inorder to slow the flow of water. They are like mini dams placed every 20 yards or so. Not big enough to stop the flow, but large enough to slow it down.
Just as a point of curiousity, has something happened to cause you to have an increase amount of water flowing through your creek?
I have a creek bed with a great number of trees along the banks with partially exposed roots in the creek bed and none of them are in any danger of falling despite the rainwater from our entire neighborhood flowing down the stream.

My property is bordered by a creek and every year another tree or two is taken down by erosion. A 50' cherrybark oak was taken out in Hurricane Floyd. Depending on how large the watershed is for your creek, water volume can change dramatically.

kelly- I think it depends on whether you're on city or county property- but either way, I'd call someone in one of those offices about the problem, and don't wait too long. The creek next to our house had a tiny antiquated drainage pipe under the road, and we had the creek overflow and fill the entire basement plus 3 feet on the first floor level in a manner of 30 minutes during a hard rain one year. (talk about a lot of water) After a few "friendly" phone calls mentioning potential lawsuits, the city installed a very LARGE pipe and shored up the creek in some places with big heavy rock. Rather than approach a municipality about losing trees, I'd let them know you are concerned about potential flooding to get some action started on it.

-Nan

All that rip rap will cost money and big trucks and workers to get it in place, IF that's even the solution (as Nan mentioned, drainage could be an issue, instead).

Rip Rap is JUST LIKE the "gravel" we buy at Home Depot as "drainage rock" for $3 for a 60-pound bag, except the rocks are 100 times bigger, meaning where we buy one bag that has several hundred gray rocks about the size of a large bird's egg in them, if the bag had Rip Rap in it, it might have 3-5 rocks, each the size of a canteloupe, or so.

These are placed in a pile along banks -- usually on the inside of bends where erosion would be worst -- to slow the flow and give the water something other than bare soil off which to rebound when it's flowing high and fast. Lots of lakes use them, too, to reduce shoreline erosion.

I think if there IS a way you could get some branch of local or state government to do it for legal or environmental reasons (I agree I'd not mention saving the trees unless all other reasons first fell on deaf ears), I'd try to go that route... Doing it yourself could cost some money.

Good luck!
Jeff

This happens as a result of development usually, although a big storm could cause it occasionally on a natural creek. Paved areas and rooftops do not absorb water. It runs off, exceeding usual flow in creek and edges are then "scoured" of native plant and animal life. If there's new development in the area - it's their fault - in Chapel Hill you can probably do something about it, in Cary probably not. If not, rain gardens can help to restore natural stream flow. It's a shame. Ten years ago, there were river otters in Cary. When humans move in, we kick everyone else out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rain Gardens

Hi-
Keep in mind that any "impact" needs a permit. An impact can be riprap or anything else put in a jurisdictional stream. If there is a crayfish, salmanders, dragon fly larvae, etc. in the stream it is jurisdictional. Depending upon the amount of impact, you will need a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers and/or the Division of Water Quality. If you have unpermitted impacts, you can be fined and have to apply for an "after the fact" permit.

The dense networks that the rhizomes of running bamboo form are ideal for stopping creek bank erosion. Most of the creeks in the Southeast originally had stands of native cane (Arundinaria gigantea and A. tecta) growing along them. In addition to stopping the erosion, it can actually reverse the process and build soil as the rhizomes and canes trap and hold sediment. 15 years ago I planted some 2 foot high running bamboo near a road drainage culvert that had eroded a 3 foot deep gully on my parent's land. At present, that gully is history, since it has been completely filled in by bamboo-trapped sediment and the runoff is filtered through the knee-high mass of this bamboo. I know of a creek on Anderson, SC where one bank is planted with timber bamboo, while the other bank is planted with lawn. Over time, this creek is shifting over toward the lawn side, since it has continued to erode away at the lawn side, but the bamboo has been trapping and building up soil on its side of the creek. So far, the bamboo it has built up to 5 feet on new soil deposits on its side with an equal loss of soil on the lawn side. If you don't want to grow a large bamboo on your creek bank, you could plant a low-growing groundcover bamboo, some of which have very showy variegated leaves. Plant the bamboo in the spaces between the trees and let it run toward the moister soil of the creek bank.

Mike, are there bamboos that will grow in the shade? among the trees? That idea would work great for my creek. Nancy

Be very careful about the bamboo, though. I've seen many areas in SC where this plan has gone awry, resulting in forest takeover by bamboo...NOT a good thing.

Creek and river bank erosion is typically very difficult to stop by legal means. Forces of nature usually win against our measly attempts to protect our personal territory. Even rip rap won't solve the problem for very long, if the creek floods fairly often. I sure would follow the advise of some of the folks who suggest that you contact a city or county official for some information.

The native bamboo will grow among trees and in shade. Keep in mind, though, it's invasive and rather homely. If you can keep it from spreading anywhere else by mowing, then the invasiveness isn't an issue.

You don't stop the spread of a running bamboo by mowing it. It will keep growing out even if you mow it and eventually it will escape your attempts to confine it.

In general,the shorter the bamboo, the more shade tolerant it is. The low groundcover bamboos can grow in deep shade. Some, like Pleioblastus viridistriatus, get 3 feet high and have a beautiful, subtle, green on green variegation.

I've been gorwing bamboo here since 1988 and haven't had any problems controlling it. Here is a pic of my garden.
{{gwi:585833}}

The rhizome of a running bamboo can only travel a limited distance underground before it has to send up a leafy cane to resupply the rhizome before it can grow any further. The rhizomes of large running bamboos can only run about as far as they are tall. Low-growing groundcover bamboos can run about three times as they are tall. So if you keep the bamboo from establishing any canes within this distance, it can't spread beyond it. Here are some pics of some groundcover bamboos.
{{gwi:585834}}
Sasaella masamuniana albostriata gets 3 feet high and is a moderate spreader.

{{gwi:585836}}
Pleioblastus china vaginatus variegatus gets about 10 feet high and is a moderate spreader.

Mike, thanks so much for your teriffic pictures and your knowledge. Nancy

Mike, those are beautiful pictures. Your place looks like a tropical paradise.

Ripraps are a little expensive and canâÂÂt do much if water velocity is high. You need to blanket the soil with a good geotextile to prevent debris from getting into the base and roots of the young trees. Geotextile will filter out sediments and control the water that penetrates through as not to drown your plants. When the wind is strong, tree guards can also be useful. I bought erosion control products from a warehouse in St Marys that offer a lot of various landscape supplies.

Here is a link that might be useful: Erosion control products

Before you try to fix it you might want to do a little panning for gold! :)