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Screenshot 2025-11-24 at 14-56-07 Rock Weirs Water Resource Roundup - Rock Weirs Water Resource Roundup.pdf

Staff contact

Thomas Plank

Publication Date

November 6, 2025
Topics: ,

Rock Weirs

Water Resource Roundup #1

Rock weirs are structures that act to slow water down in streams or ditches, decreasing erosion and creating habitat. Weirs offer low-tech solutions to issues that can plague landowners as they manage water crossing their land, and can be a powerful management tool. The strategic addition of rocks to streambeds creates turbulence and drag, which slows water down, reducing its capacity to carry sediment and erode the land. Weirs have been used as a water management tool for thousands of years, but the early 1900s saw a rise in their use for habitat and stream restoration.

Weirs can be built in stream beds or in dry areas where water is present seasonally. In certain drought-susceptible areas, dry weirs can offer more opportunities for water to stay on a property rather than running off and eroding the land. Download this document if you’re interested in deploying rock weirs for erosion control, or are looking for some basic tips on how to build rock weirs and how rock weirs slow water, deposit sediment, and help restore watersheds.

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