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"Rivers were here long before man. andfor untold ages every stream has periodically exercised its right to expand when carrying more than normal flow. Man's error has not been the neglect offlood- control measures, but his refusal to recognize the right of rivers to their floodplain... " -Engineering News-Record, 1937 "" ~- s:="..- ..;;. "'?' - .- --_ ~ ~-4f.__ ~~.~~:!~ ~ ~- ~--~ ~~ " II Human Activity - Multiple Uses of Floodplains While it is important to understand that natural resources of floodplains serve many valuable functions, \ve must recognize that humans use the land in ways that can impede these natural functions. If vegetation and soils play crucial roles in maintaining water quality and retarding runoff, then their disturbance or removal can inhibit or eliminate the functions that these ecosystem components perform. Loss of these functions should raise concerns for those communities in which floodplain land uses are not compatible. Every community makes choices about land use. These choices will vary according to the characteristics of a particular community, and in many cases choices are limited by land-use decisions of the past. Current land-use patterns may reflect inadequate consid- eration or understanding of the consequences of altering natural features of the environ- ment. Even so, it is important that an awareness of the value of natural functions is incorporated into the land-use decisions that will affect the future of any community. Different levels of development and disruption to natural systems will have varying impacts on natural resources. For example, jf the floodplain in your community is al- ready fully developed. your management objectives will be quite different from those of a community that has a considerable amount of open space. Here are some different levels of land use development and corresponding considerations: [) Urban Areas -It is likely that the floodplain within an urban community is already highly developed. Here, the management options include restoration of natural areas and the relocation of structures that are particularly threatened by flood hazards. o Suburban Areas/Urban Fringe - Urban fringe areas often face great development pressures, but may be fortunate enough to have some open space to ",Iork with. Effec- tive planning is critical in these communities, and can include a focus on maintaining existing open areas along waterways and restoration of vegetation. o Rural Areas - Agricultural communities have a different set of floodplain concerns. They have an advantage in the fact that open space is probably already plentiful in the floodplain. Management strategies here should focus on control1ing erosion and excessive nutrient loadings, as well as revegetating streambanks to restore natural ecosystem functions. ....