Emergence in mountain and foothill territories of the North Caucasus of mud streams in the defining degree is connected with harmful effects of mountain water currents. Therefore, safety of the population, objects of economy and melioration of natural landscapes by creation of protective constructions is one of important and current problems here. Reliability and operability of the specified constructions considerably depends on completeness and reliability of initial hydrogeophysical characteristics of catchment basins of the rivers that causes the high level of requirements to their validity. However, in the last decade a number of works on waterways of the North Caucasus does not conform to such requirements. The lack of due criticism from scientific community of such works promotes their increasing distribution therefore, in many cases, they can become the main reason for incorrect estimates of the developed seleopasnost of the territory, creation of irrational and unreliable protective constructions that conducts to considerable economic expenses of the state, quite often, with tragic consequences. The conclusion is drawn on unfitness of such works both for theoretical researches, and for practical use. Separate positive examples of successful realization of antitorrential actions (development of a selevedeniye), including on the most important Olympic venues of «Sochi–2014» on Krasnaya Polyana are given.