Several land treatment measures involve little additional cost to the farmer, and some, such as no till or minimum tillage, actually reduce costs. Congress has already taken steps to reform our outdated flood control policies by reforming flood and crop insurance programs, and by using flood insurance funds to relocate vulnerable homes and businesses. In 1994, Congress failed to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act, the Corps' authorizing legislation, for the first time in more than a decade due to significant philosophical differences over structural flood control. And, recent flooding in the Northeast and Northwest has once again forced the nation to question some underlying assumptions about the management of our nation's rivers. Roles and responsibilities that have been established over decades suddenly seem out of date.
Practices designed to reduce flood losses are, in some cases, thought to have made things worse.
Whether Congress will give communities the tools and incentives they need to manage watersheds and floodplains to restore natural flood control functions remains to be seen. Federal programs to reduce erosion and non-point source pollution programs that might also be used to address changes in overland flow are poorly coordinated and underfunded. Rather than build levees and drain wetlands in isolation, people living within a single drainage basin must begin to share responsibility for their land-use decisions. The federal government can lead by example, but state and local government must be given the tools and incentives they need to properly manage their floodplains and watersheds.