This paper focuses on the mining of aggregate within 100-year floodplains and active channel migration areas, and the potential negative effects of such mining on rivers that supply drinking water. It offers examples of how different jurisdictions have addressed the problem. It summarizes a legal challenge that the authors participated in on behalf of the Canby Utility Board, a municipal utility in Canby, Oregon. Finally, it recommends certain legislative and regulatory reforms to ensure a balance between clean water and aggregate floodplain/active channel mining and to reduce the likelihood of expensive legal challenges to such mining proposals.