4 ms·

River deltas evolve in ways that have no regard for real estate values. Sediment builds up and constricts outflow until water finds another way through. Levee

River deltas evolve in ways that have no regard for real estate values. Sediment builds up and constricts outflow until water finds another way through. Levees and channelisation redirect sediment.

brnt 4y ago
> River deltas evolve in ways that have no regard for real estate values. Yes and no. See the Netherlands. You need to configure an entire nation for it though, and I don't think any other country can/is.
- vidanay 4y ago
  And within 50 years or less with no maintenance, all of those areas would be reclaimed.
  - brnt 4y ago
    Exactly. It's firstly a social problem: can you get a people to be convinced this is worth investing significant time and money in for very long stretches of time? Water management in the Low countries has now a 1500 year history, planning is not for years but centuries. Expenses are a multitude of what's spent in the Mississippi Delta. That's the stuff that is needed to control nature. The Dutch have nowhere else to go, so it's existential. The Americans have space enough and therefore no need to make sure of the value of real estate in the Mississippi Delta.
- rapnie 4y ago
  In Netherlands we have a new problem now to fix. There's a very efficient system of dikes, levies and pumps (large parts of the country are below sea level) to get rid of the water from the river Rhine and big rainfalls. But in recent years drought has become a big issue, and now we have to significantly alter this system so it is also able to retain water when necessary. This Wikipedia page has a map that shows how the country would look like without dikes. Amsterdam for instance would be fully flooded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlan... Referenced from this page is also the "Room for the River" project where indefensible lands are given up, and many places have been created where the river is allowed to flood its banks, so it becomes more manageable elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_for_the_River_(Netherlands) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_for_the_River_(Netherland...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

River deltas evolve in ways that have no regard for real estate values. Sediment builds up and constricts outflow until water finds another way through. Levees and channelisation redirect sediment.

brnt 4y ago

> River deltas evolve in ways that have no regard for real estate values. Yes and no. See the Netherlands. You need to configure an entire nation for it though, and I don't think any other country can/is.

vidanay 4y ago
And within 50 years or less with no maintenance, all of those areas would be reclaimed.
- brnt 4y ago
  Exactly. It's firstly a social problem: can you get a people to be convinced this is worth investing significant time and money in for very long stretches of time? Water management in the Low countries has now a 1500 year history, planning is not for years but centuries. Expenses are a multitude of what's spent in the Mississippi Delta. That's the stuff that is needed to control nature. The Dutch have nowhere else to go, so it's existential. The Americans have space enough and therefore no need to make sure of the value of real estate in the Mississippi Delta.
rapnie 4y ago
In Netherlands we have a new problem now to fix. There's a very efficient system of dikes, levies and pumps (large parts of the country are below sea level) to get rid of the water from the river Rhine and big rainfalls. But in recent years drought has become a big issue, and now we have to significantly alter this system so it is also able to retain water when necessary. This Wikipedia page has a map that shows how the country would look like without dikes. Amsterdam for instance would be fully flooded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_in_the_Netherlan... Referenced from this page is also the "Room for the River" project where indefensible lands are given up, and many places have been created where the river is allowed to flood its banks, so it becomes more manageable elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_for_the_River_(Netherlands) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_for_the_River_(Netherland...
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]