Before human intervention, excess
water from a flood simply spread out and covered a river's
natural floodplain. Over time, levees and other structures
have increasingly blocked the river's access to this
natural "sponge" area for absorbing floodwaters. Recently,
the Army Corps of Engineers has begun considering new
approaches to moderating flooding, including reestablishing
hardwood forests on floodplains and designing structures
that maintain more natural flows in rivers.
! Examine these images that show some new approaches to flood control. How successful do you think these strategies will be next time flood conditions occur on the Mississippi River?
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