The need for hydrologic restoration is well established in stream ecosystems across the world; however, available funding for catchment-scale restoration typically falls far short of what is required to produce in-stream results. Hydrologic restoration can be particularly important for improving stream integrity in urban watersheds, but implementation can be challenging due to high property values and limited space for retroactive stormwater control measures. This Northern Kentucky (USA) case study summarizes how stormwater mitigation interventions could be, and have already been, used to credit stream mitigation projects via conventional US Army Corps of Engineers crediting protocols. Hydrologic restoration can generate stream mitigation credits by directly improving the flow class and/or by indirectly improving the habitat quality. For example, a stormwater intervention could create a shift from an ephemeral to intermittent flow class, while at the same time facilitating greater substrate stability, lower embeddedness, and other geomorphic improvements, that subsequently improve the categorical habitat rating. The ecological lift of such hydrologic interventions could be further expanded via concurrent in-stream mitigation measures such as re-establishing a jurisdictional stream in place of a drainage ditch or installing habitat structures such as toe wood and log steps, among other activities. Such process-based hydrologic restoration is consistent with the goals of the Clean Water Act and has the potential to be more beneficial to greater portions of stream networks and greater numbers of stakeholders than conventional habitat restoration alone.

世界各地的河流生态系统都非常需要水文恢复；然而，流域规模恢复的可用资金通常远远低于产生流水结果所需的资金。水文恢复对于改善城市流域的河流完整性尤为重要，但由于财产价值高且可追溯性雨水控制措施的空间有限，实施可能具有挑战性。这个北肯塔基州（美国）案例研究总结了如何通过传统的美国陆军工程兵团信用协议将雨水缓解干预措施用于并已经用于信用流缓解项目。水文恢复可以通过直接改善流量等级和/或间接改善栖息地质量来产生河流减缓信用。例如，雨水干预可以创造从短暂流向间歇流的转变，同时促进更大的基质稳定性、更低的嵌入性和其他地貌改善，从而提高分类栖息地等级。此类水文干预措施的生态提升可以通过同时进行的河内缓解措施进一步扩大，例如重新建立管辖河流以代替排水沟或安装栖息地结构，如脚趾木和原木台阶，以及其他活动。这种基于过程的水文恢复符合《清洁水法》的目标，与单独的传统栖息地恢复相比，它有可能对更多的河流网络和更多的利益相关者更有利。