Three techniques of stream liming were analyzed with respect to dissolution efficiency, ability to treat fluctuations in flow and effects on selected water quality parameters: a slurried-powder mechanical doser, a rotary drum system, and a limestone aggregate stream barrier. All achieved similar minimum levels of alkalinity and pH. The doses of calcium carbonate produced by both mechanical treatment methods were relatively unaffected by flow while the limestone barrier lost effectiveness at higher flows. Analysis of changes in concentrations of metals (particularly aluminum) indicated a complex interaction between base material addition and metals. The base material added by the slurried-powder doser appears to have contributed to an observed increase in total aluminum concentrations downstream of the doser. The limestone barrier appears to have acted as a sink for aluminum during low flows, subsequently releasing the metal during high flows. The treatment methods reviewed all appear capable of achieving water quality targets under specific conditions. Care must be taken, however, in selection of materials in order to produce desirable reductions in potentially toxic constituents.