"River improvement work, within which designation this paper falls, is a specialized field largely restricted to engineers in government service. The aspect, treated here, is Comprehensive river stabilization; that is, improving a river's alignment by a rigorous dredging program to produce a gently-sinuous river and then monumenting that alignment by bank protection so as to perpetuate the initial flood control, navigation, and other water resources benefits." -- From the synopsis.

Appears to be a paper written for the American Society of Civil Engineers.