Erosion, transportation and deposition all occur in a river. Moving from the upper course to the lower course, the rates of erosion, transportation and deposition change.

Erosional landforms include interlocking spurs, waterfalls and gorges. Meanders and oxbow lakes use erosional and depositional processes in their creation. Examples can be found along the River Tees.

Hard engineering management involves using artificial structures, such as dams and embankments. Soft engineering management is a more natural approach to manage flooding, such as floodplain zoning.