Signs of serious erosion problems include: Large areas of bare soil on a steep, high shoreline bank; Noticeable recession of the shoreline over a period of time; Leaning or downed trees with exposed roots on the shoreline; Large patches of muddy water near a lakeshore, or unusually muddy streams during periods of high water or following a rainstorm; Excessive deposits of sand or other sediments on the stream bed, or very wide, shallow areas in a stream.
The U.S. has 3.5 million miles of rivers. The 1992 National Water Quality Inventory of 642,881 miles of these rivers stated that only 56 percent supported multiple uses, including drinking water supply, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and agriculture, as well as flood prevention and erosion control. In the remaining 44 percent sedimentation and excess nutrients were the most significant causes of degradation.