Global demand for high drinking water quality is increasing due to urbanization and population growth. Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a green water treatment mechanism that extracts water from rivers by nearby pumping wells, where it is purified through natural physical, biological, and chemical reactions that take place through the aquifer porous media. RBF, as a green water treatment mechanism, can reduce contaminant concentrations to standard limits. RBF has been used extensively in Europe for over a hundred years along the Elbe and Rhine rivers for domestic water production. Nowadays, the application of this technique has been extended throughout the world. It ensures natural, sustainable water quantity, improves surface water quality, and is cost-effective. RBF wells types include vertical, horizontal, and infiltration galleries. Hyporheic zone, a biologically active layer formed from sediment accumulation and fine-grained particles, is important for the filtration and attenuation of natural contaminants. It removes suspended solids, turbidity, heavy metals, biodegradable compounds, pathogenic bacteria, and pharmaceutical wastes from river water, as well as partial attenuation of organic compounds and pesticides. Layer erosion has regenerative effects that restore infiltration rates. RBF is site-specific, and every site requires detailed comprehensive investigations for both aquifer and river characteristics. Groundwater flow modelling is used to identify the optimum well location and predict travel time. Previous applied practices support RBF as an appropriate alternative to conventional treatment plants for drinking water production with low cost before disinfection. RBF has socio-economic values, increasing per-capita availability of drinking water and protecting public health. This article reviews the potential of RBF to augment water resources.