eHow Health Public Health & Safety Environmental Health Positive Effects of Floods
Positive Effects of Floods
By Doug Donald
eHow Contributor
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The long-term effects of flooding on this Florida orange grove may be beneficial.
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People have come to regard floods as disasters in terms of lives lost and property damaged. Humans have altered the flow of natural waterways to meet their needs but with sometimes disastrous consequences. Though floods can be devastating to population centers, they have always been an integral part of nature's renewal process, providing many long-term positive effects.
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Renewal of Wetlands
Floods contribute to the health of ecologically important wetland areas. Healthy wetlands promote healthy water supplies and even affect air quality. Floods inundate wetlands with fresh waste. They also carry and deposit nutrient-rich sediments that support both plant and animal life in wetlands. In addition, flooding adds nutrients to lakes and streams that help support healthy fisheries.