Hydrologic restoration is designed to return the flow of water to a more natural state by using shoreline protection or water control structures.

Depending on the situation, this might mean increasing water movement, decreasing it, or blocking it altogether. The ultimate goal of hydrologic restoration is to allow wetlands to use freshwater, sediment, nutrients, or tides more effectively to benefit vegetation, fisheries and wildlife.

Hydrologic restoration can be accomplished by the use of weirs, plugs, gaps, culverts, terracing, and shoreline stabilization.