A method, apparatus and program product to facilitate the analysis and monitoring of stream and river conditions, with emphasis on Natural River Design. To this end, the invention uses and processes channel data to provide analysis and monitoring information and optimized channel design information. The channel data is automatically accessed from a database that includes channel data derived from a plurality of geomorphological sources and user inputs. The channel data is located and otherwise determined in response to user input and is used to derive optimized channel design information. This channel design information may be used to implement specific preventive and restorative practices appropriate to realize stable and ecologically appropriate characteristics for a given target reach.