24 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Voi,. XXIX, 1922 
Erosion and Conservation of Water 
Newspapers have given us only a partial idea of the devastation 
of floods during the last month; over 75,000 people were rendered 
homeless in the Mississippi valley, in spite of the fact that ex- 
pensive levies have been built to protect individuals, cities and 
states. These floods will continue as long as our waters are 
rushed down the small streams and creeks and emptied into the 
larger streams causing them to go out of their banks. We, there- 
fore, view with concern the straightening of streams and the 
building of large drainage ditches, changing the channels of the 
small streams, causing a rapid run-off of water which is thrown 
into ithe main channels with disastrous results to property own- 
ers farther down the stream. The water should be kept back by 
reforesting the hillsides and keeping the trees of the slopes in 
good condition, so that the water may enter the soil through the 
humus. During the early days in Iowa the streams were clear 
soon after a rain, perennial springs were numerous. Lakes, no 
matter of what kind, should be preserved to hold back water 
so that along with the water percolating through the soil of a 
forest this water will be made available for agricultural crops. 
We are opposed to spending millions of dollars for the kind of re- 
clamation work advocated by the Mississippi Valley Association. 
We are an agricultural state and water is of vital importance for 
our welfare. . . 
Aquatic Resources 
There are something like seventy meandered lakes in the state, 
besides such meandered streams as the Des Moines, Cedar, Iowa, 
Wapsipinicon, the Missouri on the west and the Mississippi on 
the east. These lakes and streams abound in animal life which 
adds materially to the wealth of Iowa. We will seriously curtail 
this wealth of Iowa by shutting off the food supply of fish, wild 
game and muskrats by draining the lakes or destroying the sloughs 
of the Mississippi and Missouri. Aquatic plants, with few excep- 
tions, cannot grow in rapid running streams, and many of these 
plants which furnish the food for these aquatic animals will not 
grow in water much more than three to four feet deep, though a 
few occur in eight to ten feet of water. Therefore, if we expect to 
retain this source of wealth, this plant life must be maintained 
and more shallow bodies of water must be provided. We must 
view with alarm some of the drainage projects of the state. This 
problem is connected with recreation, and is therefore a problem 
of conservation as well as a problem of economic production. 
