Less Flood Damages

By re-plumbing the American river system with dams, levees, and deep channels, we've lost the rich wetlands that once held seasonal deluges. Instead, we now face excessive flood damage, reaching an estimated $6 billion in 2008 in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

Restored wetlands could help. Wetlands function like natural sponges, storing water and slowly releasing it. This process slows the water's momentum and erosive destruction, reduces flood heights, and allows for freshwater aquifers to recharge. When wetlands store floodwaters, damage to life and property is reduced.

The Wetlands Initiative estimates that, in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, nearly 60 percent of the former wetlands in the 100-year floodplain are now used for agriculture. If we moved a portion of low-producing farmland out of the floodplain and restored these 4 million acres to wetlands, we could make a significant difference in the way our rivers respond to flood events and lower economic cost and human misery caused each year by flooding.

Click here to read more about the Initiative's research on the potential for wetlands to reduce flood damages.