Wetland enhancement in Midwest could help reduce catastrophic floods of the future

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2016/mar/wetland-enhancement-midwest-could-help-reduce-catastrophic-floods-future

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Wetland enhancement in Midwest could help reduce catastrophic floods of the future[/font]

03/16/2016

[font size=3]CORVALLIS, Ore. – According to a new study from Oregon State University, restoration of wetlands in the Midwest has the potential to significantly reduce peak river flows during floods - not only now, but also in the future if heavy rains continue to increase in intensity.

Wetland restoration could also provide a small step toward a hydrologic regime in this region that more closely resembles its historic nature, before roads and cities were constructed, forests were lost, and millions of acres tile-drained to increase agricultural production.

An evaluation of potential wetlands in one watershed in central Indiana found that if just 1.5 percent of the land were used for wetlands, the peak flow of the overall watershed could be reduced by up to 17.5 percent. Also of importance, researchers said, is that expansion of wetlands appears to provide significant benefits across a wide range of possible climate scenarios.

The study was published in Ecological Engineering, in work supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.01.014

[HassleCat]

1. Dismantle the levees.

So many rivers have been contained between levees. When there is flooding, they build the levees higher and thicker, passing the problem downstream. And those people build bigger levees, passing a bigger problem downstream. And so on. In the long run, you cannot deny nature.

[Nihil]

2. +1 (n/t)