Modification of an alluvial channel from its natural meandering tendency into a straight alignment usually requires confinement within armored banks because the channel may be very unstable. Straightening meandering channels can result in steeper gradients, degradation, and bank caving upstream as the stream attempts to reestablish equilibrium. The eroded material will be deposited downstream, resulting in reduced stream slopes, reduced sediment transport capacity, and possible braiding. When a channel is straightened without armor banks, the current will tend to oscillate transversely and initiate the formation of bends. Eventually, even protected straight channel reaches may be destroyed as a result of the natural migration of meanders upstream of the modified channel.