Illinois Department of Conservation photograph 
@ Lowered water tables: 
Floodplains, wetlands, and swamps which act as natural 
reservoirs to store flood waters, nutrients, and sediment 
are destroyed. 
@ Increased downstream flooding: 
Ditches dug to facilitate faster water removal increase 
the problems of flooding and siltation downstream. Flood- 
ing due to “channel improvements” upstream often is the 
‘basis for channelizing more watercourses downstream. 
(Whatever happened to the old theory of “stopping the 
raindrop where it falls?” Is it possible that shortly Army 
Corps of Engineer downstream dams will be justified by 
the presence of Corps and SCS ditches upstream? This is 
not only possible, but is already happening in Arkansas.) 
@ Degradation of water quality, increased erosion and 
siltation. 
@ Loss of aesthetic values: 
Here the loss is quite obvious. A mud filled gutter 
has no appeal except perhaps to those who carved it. 
Stripped bare of vegetation and nearly devoid of fish and 
wildlife, a channelized stream is one of the ultimate 
examples of man’s lack of even a semblance of a land 
ethic. Can a person camp, hike, swim, wade, picnic, fish, 
hunt, bird watch, or in any way enjoy the out-of-doors in 
such a setting? A glance at a particular raped stream or 
river environment provides the sad answer. 
