Houston's Floods a Reminder of the Importance of Wetlands Protection

"For the past twenty years, we at Bayou Land Conservancy have watched, horrified, as the Houston region's wetlands are scraped and filled in — directly resulting in increased flooding," begins an editorial by Jennifer Lorenz.

The reason for the account is the catastrophic flooding in Houston this week. According to the article, wetlands serve as the kidneys of the area's watersheds, running a process that serves as the foundation of the region's ecology.

Lorenz adds:

The rampant destruction of our forested and prairie wetlands is upsetting this balance, drastically reducing the land's ability to absorb water. By allowing so many wetlands to be turned into subdivisions, we're not just kicking them to the curb; we're turning them into curbs. We need the ecological equivalent of dialysis.

The editorial also includes a list of suggested actions to balance the need to protect the watershed while also meeting the construction demands of a growing population. The list includes, with more details in the article, planting more trees and native plants, better enforcement of existing construction regulations, more citizen-power in the building permit process, better landscaping on residential properties, better watershed awareness, and ceasing and desisting " trapezoidal concrete detention areas." On that last issue, Florenz writes: "Engineers like right angles; nature doesn't."