A climatologist says improving soil health and infiltration in upstream agricultural fields could potentially help reduce downstream flooding.
Dennis Todey, director of USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub, says soil health management can increase resilience to extreme weather events. “By better keeping water where it lands and not running off, that reduces the downstream impact.”
He tells Brownfield it also provides agronomic benefits. “We can reduce the loss of soil, reduce water quality issues and nutrients being washed off because of that.”
But Todey says it remains a difficult issue to resolve.
