A Call to Enhance the Resiliency of the Nation’s Water Management

Abstract

A little more than a decade ago, a small band of engineers and ecologists came together along the banks of the Green River of Kentucky to discuss a simple idea. The Green River—“where Paradise lay” in the words of John Prine—is in fact a magical place. Although Prine’s song “Paradise” laments the region’s environmental degradation and associated social decline—including the literal disappearance of the riverside town of Paradise—a large segment of the Green River remains a natural wonderland. Today, it is one of the most ecologically rich rivers in the nation, supporting more than 150 species of fish, 70 species of mussels, and a host of species endemic to the hydrologically connected Mammoth Cave complex. However, the environmental health of an extended reach of the Green has been diminished by changes in natural river flows caused by the Green River Dam, built as a multipurpose project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). It was this nexus of engineering infrastructure and ecological richness that spurred the group of engineers and ecologists to ask whether reservoir operations could be changed to restore the health of a significant reach of the Green River below the dam and meet— or even enhance—other project purposes. Their solution offers lessons on how water and floodplain management can be changed to better meet the nation’s current and future needs for more sustainable flood protection, water supply, hydropower, recreation, and environmental health. On a much larger scale, the current flooding in the Mississippi Basin—and the effectiveness of the flood-management system designed in the aftermath of the disastrous 1927 Mississippi flood—emphasizes the importance of using floodplains to help manage floods and the great value in learning from past events and responding with comprehensive water-management systems. As we describe subsequently, it is time to explore more sustainable approaches to floodplain management and to examine opportunities for reallocation of reservoir storage coupled with tighter integration of reservoir and floodplain management. These two components of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) will help to alleviate current stresses on water resources and enhance both social and ecological resiliency. Growing Stresses on Water Management