Giving Rivers Room to Roam

Natural solutions can handle flood risk in a changing climate.

One of our greatest resources in Illinois is our abundant freshwater. Our rivers supply water for agriculture, cities and towns, industry and wildlife. But when they flood, they’re a reminder of nature’s power and unpredictability. And lately, the floods have been bigger and more destructive, especially on the Mississippi and its major tributaries.

“The truth is, the river is different,” says Bryan Hopkins, director of freshwater conservation at The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. “We’re seeing higher flood risk and stronger pulses.” In the last 10 years, Illinois has experienced some of its biggest floods on record, events that swept away topsoil, drowned crops, damaged homes and cost lives.

The solution? Giving the river more room. One way of doing this is to move levees— originally constructed to contain rivers in narrow channels—back from the waterline. “After the 2019 flood on the lower Missouri River, one levee was so damaged that it was described as swiss cheese,” says Viv Bennett, director of protection and conservation strategies for TNC in Illinois. So instead of rebuilding in the same place, the Army Corps of Engineers moved the levee back by about five miles. This allowed floodwaters to expand outward and diminish in force. TNC brought together partners for the project and purchased conservation easements on the land. The new location created a reconnected floodplain of over 1,040 acres with an additional 400 acres of new wetlands and restored habitat for three endangered species. Using this experience, TNC created a levee setback playbook that can guide similar projects throughout the region (available at nature.org/ MOriverlevee).

Another recent success is the 17,000-acre Dogtooth Bend peninsula in southwest Illinois, which was experiencing repeated floods. TNC worked with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service to run a matching funds program that enabled the government to buy conservation easements from landowners who were being flooded. The easements allow the owners to retain ownership while preserving the land for wildlife, recreation, improved water quality and myriad other benefits.

TNC also continues to work toward our 2030 goal of conserving a million kilometers of river, which is enough river length to wrap around the planet 25 times over. In addition, we lobby Congress to fund the national restoration program for the upper Mississippi River. “We are one of the major reasons that it has been consistently funded, so it can keep staff, keep up momentum and do multi-year projects,” Hopkins explains. TNC also provides technical input on managing water levels in the river, which are key to supporting vegetation growth and aquatic life.

Floods can be devastating, but there are ways to manage the risk. “It’s about handling flooding in a better way,” says Bennett. “Affected landowners are the first to tell us that the river has changed and it’s not going to go back. But, by adapting to the new conditions, we can help create habitat, improve water quality and help keep people out of harm’s way.”