$17 Billion for Flood Protection in California: Why?

The Central Valley is supposed to flood.

The problem is that billions of dollars have been invested in agricultural production on the floodplain, so it needs to be protected…or does it?

It’s ironic when you think about it. The area is prime agricultural land because of thousands of years of nutrient rich soil being deposited by floods.  Now, we continue to invest billions of dollars into stopping this process while simultaneously applying millions of tons of inorganic fertilizers to the soil in an effort to boost production.

The story is not new, but when will we learn?  Think of what $17 billion dollars could do to restore and protect ecosystem services, including healthy productive soils, throughout North America, relying on natural processes. We do.