During the 21st century, the management of water resource will become a main issue because of the increasing growth of population. Water is an essential resource for basic human needs (drinking, irrigation, industrial activities); but also constitutes a renewable source of energy through hydroelectricity. Finally, it transports and disperses pollutants in the aquatic ecosystems with direct environmental consequences. From an operational point of view, a good management of water resources is closely linked to a good management of sediments. The suspended sediments add substantial costs to the treatment of surface water supplies used for drinking water since the turbidity must be eliminated. Particulates also provide attachment sites for heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, lead), and many toxic organic contaminants (PCBs, PAHs, pesticides). Finally, the accumulation of sediments in dam reservoirs reduces the storage capacity and is one of the main obstacles to the recognition of the hydroelectricity as a compatible energy with sustainable development.