NRCS defines the practice of stream crossing as the development of a stabilized area or structure constructed across a stream to provide a travel way for people, livestock, equipment, or vehicles. This practice's purpose is to provide safe access to another land unit, to improve water quality by reducing sediment, nutrient, organic, and inorganic loading of the stream, and to reduce streambank and streambed erosion. With this in mind, it's important to note where else nutrient loading occurs outside of agriculture run-off. Whether it's heavy equipment frequently traveling through water ways, or the erosive foot-traffic large livestock bring, streambank stabilization is critical to the health of any watershed. Without this particular practice, our waterways and streambanks are much more susceptible to releasing excessive nutrients directly into water sources, changing the form and other characteristics of waterways, and affecting the ecosystems that depend on streambank and streambed habitats.