Short Wave Give Rivers Space: The Simple Flood Risk Fix
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Jun 14, 2023 Lauren Sommer, NPR's climate correspondent specializing in environmental issues, discusses innovative flood risk solutions. She emphasizes the limitations of traditional levees and advocates for giving rivers space to breathe. Sommer highlights a river restoration project in California that transforms agricultural land into natural floodplains, benefitting both ecosystems and communities. With rising flood risks due to climate change, she underscores the need for nature-based approaches to flood management and the ecological benefits for wildlife.
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Flooded Communities
- Pajaro and Planada, two lower-income, farmworker communities, flooded due to levee failures.
- Grayson, a similar community, also faced flood risks from the San Joaquin River.
Grayson's Levee Setback
- Unlike raising levees, Grayson benefited from a levee setback project upriver.
- This allowed the river more room to flood, reducing pressure on downstream levees.
Restoring Floodplains
- Instead of raising levees, a project bought farmland and removed berms to let the river flood naturally.
- This created a floodplain, restoring native plants and trees, and mimicking the natural behavior of rivers.