(a) The Urban Creek Restoration Program is intended to protect, restore, and enhance urban creek channels by combining effective, low-cost flood control with preservation and enhancement of the natural environment. Its purpose is to reduce flooding and erosion in ways which restore the ecological viability of creek environments located in predominantly urban areas, thereby enhancing aesthetic, recreational, and fish and wildlife values.

(b) Urban creek protection, restoration and enhancement are best undertaken at the local level by a combination of local agencies and citizens' groups. Local agencies and citizens' groups have the greatest incentive to make the projects successful. Community participation reduces the cost of the projects and fosters long-term community commitment to maintenance of the projects and affected streams. The Urban Creek Restoration Program is designed to provide assistance from the State to the local effort.

(c) The Urban Creek Restoration Program is designed to contribute to the long-term enhancement and restoration of natural stream corridors in the State of California by encouraging projects which contribute to the education of the public in methods of stream restoration or stream corridor management and develop new techniques and innovative technologies in the field of stream restoration.