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Wetlands Key to a Healthy
Economy Wetlands Key to a Healthy Economy
Wetlands Protect Our Families From Floods Wetlands can be the first line of defense against flooding. Just ask Louisville, Ky., schoolteacher Doris Wilson, who hadn't been flooded after 20 years in her home -- until last year. The summer after a neighboring developer destroyed a nearby wetland, her yard flooded,even though it wasn't raining. When it did rain, three feet of water forced her from her home for two months. Like sponges, wetlands soak up rain and store excess floodwater runoff, then slowly release flood waters back into streams, lakes, and groundwater. One acre of wetlands stores up to 1.5 million gallons of flood water. Those states that have lost 80 percent or more of their wetlands -- Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Missouri -- have experienced the most severe flooding over the past four years. Wetlands Purify Water Wetlands come in many forms --swamps, bogs, estuaries, prairie potholes -- but all clean our water. People living near South Carolina's Congaree Bottomland Swamp don't take that for granted. Without the wetland, which acts as a natural filter removing sediment and toxic substances, the community would have to build a 5-million-dollar water treatment facility. And relying on chemicals and treatment plants to clean our water doesn't always work. In 1993, the largest waterborne disease outbreak in modern U.S. History sickened more than 400,000 people in Milwaukee and killed 104. Less than a year later, the same dicer killed 19 people in Las Vegas. One Solution? Preserve more wetlands to shield our drinking water sources. Wetlands are Home to Fish, Shellfish, and Wildlife Many fish and waterfowl species are born in wetlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that up to 43% of America's threatened and endangered species need wetlands for their survival. For many animals, such as the wood duck, alligator, and heron, wetlands are primary habitat for part of the year. The destruction of wetlands threatens the viability of America's $45 billion commercial fishing industry. The National Marine Fisheries Service scientists estimate that nearly 70% of the annual commercial fish catch depends upon inshore-wetland habitats. Wetlands Provide a Wealth of Recreational Opportunities According to the EPA, poor water quality threatens America's $380 billion recreational/tourism industry. Beaches, lakes, and rivers are the most popular destinations. Americans count on wetlands for many other popular activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, birdwatching, and wildlife viewing. A 1995 study by the EPA shows that 50 million people spend $10 billion each year observing and photographing wetlands-dependent birds. And roughly 3 million waterfowl hunters spend over $600 million annually in pursuit of wetlands-dependent birds. Wetlands are Worth More Protected than Destroyed Currently, our laws offer limited protection for wetlands under the Clean Water Act. We must strengthen wetlands protections to safeguard these precious places. Photo courtesy John and Karen Holingsworth, USFWS Up to Top |
America's wetlands provide something for everyone --they protect our communities from
flooding, filter dangerous pollutants from our drinking water and provide life-sustaining
habitat to irreplaceable fish and wildlife. The benefits of wetlands are incalculable,
both for our economy and our environment, yet more than 120,000 acres of wetlands continue
to be destroyed every year. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wetland Status and Trends
Report, 1997). More than half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states that were present
when European settlers arrived have already been lost.