In recent years, city planners and politicians are beginning to realize that wetlands are valuable for another reason as well. In 2006, 13.3 inches (about 34cm) of rain fell on the city of Newburyport in northeastern Massachusetts. In the neighboring city of Haverhill, only about 10 inches of rain fell. However, Haverhill suffered millions of dollars worth of damage from flooding, while Newburyport suffered almost no serious damage. Why such a difference? Both cities are built
along the Merrimack River, but in Haverhill the area all along the river has been developed with housing, roads, and commercial buildings. In Newburyport,however, the area along the river has been left in its original state—marshland
(wetlands). These wetlands gave the river waters space to spread out when there was a sudden increase in volume due to the rain. The wetland plants and soil also
acted like a giant sponge to absorb water. In Haverhill, on the other hand, the
water could not spread out, so it rose higher and higher, until it overflowed the
banks and flooded areas of the city.