LETTER

We can learn from the flooding

 

We’re certainly gathering a great collection of pictures that illustrate how humans mess with shorelines; it would now be interesting to get a collection of pictures that illustrates how nature handles extreme water levels and flows in natural settings. Extremes are teachable moments; example: Hurricane Hazel taught Toronto to not build in its river valleys and influenced Ontario to create Conservation Authorities. Now would be a great time to capture, especially in rural settings, all the flooded areas that should be preserved as wetlands for future generations. In urban areas, it would be a great time to record how all the storm-water management ponds are responding – some feel they are flooding threats to a neighbourhood.

I really think that tracking down and zoning wetlands during times of high water levels, like now, is particularly important for rural municipalities who aren't likely to have access to hydrological modeling programs to fend off aggressive landowners who might want to create a lot on land that might only be occasionally flooded.    

John Almstedt
Ottawa / Cantley