PIERRE, S.D. – Wetlands protect against floods, like those some in eastern South Dakota experienced this June and researchers warned the growing presence of factory farms in the Midwest makes it harder to shield the state’s natural resources.
A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists said 30 million acres of wetlands in the Upper Midwest are at risk of destruction by industrial agriculture and other heavy industries. The authors said the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to strip some federal wetlands protections accelerates the potential loss.
Travis Entenman, managing director of Friends of the Big Sioux River, said action or inaction now will affect the outcomes in future high flood years.
Entenman pointed out South Dakota has no policies in place to protect wetlands and the state will be threatened by weaker federal ones. The report noted the pending Farm Bill could present opportunities to bolster existing conservation programs.
Wetlands can capture and slow floodwaters threatening homes.
Stacy Woods, food and environment research director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said they provide other services, too.
Researchers say one acre of wetlands provides $745 in flood mitigation benefits to residential homes. Without wetlands, they said homeowners and taxpayers absorb the costs through the National Flood Insurance Program.
