Stream Sediment Monitoring Program for Illinois

Erosion and sedimentation processes have been occurring since prehistoric times. Indeed, these natural processes have resulted in topographic features such as peneplains, rearrangement of glacial materials, and \nthe sinuous nature and maturity of rivers and streams. Erosion and sedimentation are not processes that can be completely stopped — water moving on the land surface and in streams and rivers will always move sediment. Unfortunately, human activities drastically hasten these processes. Even more importantly, human activities that lead to increases in erosion and sedimentation \nhave increased in recent decades.