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26 PROTECTING AMERICA'S WETLANDS: 



Vn. POSTSCRIPT: LESSONS FROM THE FLOOD 



The entire Nation shares the pain of those Americans experiencing the physical destruction and 

 economic loss caused by the disastrous floods that have devastated the Nation's heartland. Many 

 lives have been lost, and billions of dollars in damage have been caused to property and crops. 

 Id the short term, we must use the tools available to us to assist those struggling to deal with 

 severe economic hardship due to the floods. We must concentrate our attention on helping 

 people rebuild their lives by protecting our riverfront communities and providing assistance to 

 businesses and the agricultural community adversely affected by the floods. 



We must also look to the future, and learn from these floods how to more effectively protect 

 human health and safety, property, and the environment. Many scientists have concluded that 

 past manipulation of the rivers in the Midwest has contributed to the current level of devastation 

 by separating the river channels from their natural floodplains, eliminating millions of acres of 

 additional flood storage capacity. Wetlands within the floodplain and higher in the watcrehcd 

 reduce floods by absorbing rain, snow melt, and floodwaters and releasing it slowly, thereby 

 reducing the severity of downstream flooding. 



We must be cautious not to repeat policies and practices which may have added to the 

 destruction caused by these floods. One way to assist landowners while alleviating some flood 

 risks is through funding wetlands restoration and acquisition programs targeted to help those in 

 flood-ravaged areas. Programs such as the USDA Wetlands Reserve Program provide farmer; 

 with much needed support and increase the quantity of flood-absorbing wetlands in this region. 



Of course, wc recognize that wetlands and river system restoration and protection alone will not 

 suffice. It will be critically important that we quickly rebuild many of the flood control 

 structures. However, we have learned the importance of also looking at alternative non-structural 

 measures that may provide as much or better flood damage reduction at the same or lower cost. 

 Such measures would include using more natural river corridor systems and wetlands. In the 

 longer term, it is important that all potential flood control measures, both structural and non- 

 structural, be considered and evaluated from a pragmatic and cost-benefit standpoint. 



It is not a question of whether to protea cities and farms; it is a question of how best to protect 

 them. In the case of riverfront communities, protective levees may be the only reasonable 

 answer, but in other circumstances, non-struaural measures may make more sense. We can 

 identify ways to protect and restore our river and wetlands systems so that they work for us, 

 mtcgrated with structural flood control measures. Of course, wetlands that provide flood control 

 generally will also provide other important functions, sucfc as fish and wildlife habitat, water 

 quality improvement, and recreational opportunities. In our response to this flood-borne tragedy, 

 the Administration will pursue measures that are the most effective means to prevent this 

 catastrophe from happening again. Doubtless this will iAvolve a combination of repair and 

 construction of flood control structures together with restoration of natural flood attenuating river 

 and wetlands systems. 



