The stronger the roots become, the more stable a streambank becomes. The concrete mats allow the roots to take hold before they are washed away. The mats provide an anchoring mechanism for the roots to do so, giving stability to sediment that would otherwise wash away or erode. The mats are porous, which allows the roots of vegetation to grow through the top.
Submar mats protect a stream from high bank to high bank while encouraging vegetative growth. These articulated concrete block mattresses are made from concrete blocks and polymer rope and are used commonly for streambank stabilization. Submar onshore mats are specifically designed for pipeline erosion control. For example, fiber rolls in California are often filled with rice straw while in other states like Colorado, Oregon, and Texas wheat straw is used instead. Typically, these fiber rolls, known was wattles, are filled with a material that is local to the job site or the area of the country in which the construction is occurring. The rolls are installed parallel to the slope to prevent runoff during periods of heavy rain. The concept behind sediment retention fiber rolls has been around for years, but it is only within the past decade that their efficiency has been maximized as an erosion control tool. Below are some of the barriers used for streambank stabilization. Taking preventative streambank stabilization measures could help to cut long-term costs significantly and should be considered a worthwhile investment in any project. Since the 1800s, sedimentation rates have increased by as much as 500 percent.