Suburban Development Endangering Wetlands

"Fouled for years by sewer- and citrus-processing plants, the Econ bounced back from those abuses. But in the 1990s, more than 85,000 people swarmed to the Econ basin, many in search of leafy riverside addresses. They closed in on the serpentine waterway where woodpeckers dart among the trees and otters splash after fish in pools of hidden depths. Every inch of ground lost to four-bedroom homes and paved cul-de-sacs means less rainwater seeping through wetlands and sandy soils to the river. Nature’s delicate system to tame the flood-prone Econ and keep it alive with wildlife falters when thick woods and sloughs give way to asphalt and St. Augustine lawns. Sooner or later, the unruly river will take revenge on suburbanites." The increased development means an increased risk of flooding to communities.