Environmental Health Center

To prevent floods, dozens of Western rivers have been straightened and turned into lifeless concrete canals. Why scientists studying a Southern California river let nature take its course on today's Environminute. [:12]

Accepted thought about flooding assumes that vegetation on river bottoms eventually forms a solid wall and blocks storm water. The river then rises and floods nearby land, but scientists working on the Santa Clara River Management Plan made an important discovery. They found that winter storm run-off naturally clears vegetation that restricts water flow. They concluded that the river's own channel could serve as the major flood control device along a 15mile stretch. [:30]

The EnvironMinute is produced in cooperation with the National Safety Council and made possible by the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation. [:10]

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