In spite of these negative effects of flooding, man is becoming more aware of the
environmental benefits of flooding and the widespread negative impacts created during his short
stay in the world. Allen (1993) states that it comes as no surprise that the states that sustained
the most damage during the 1993 Mississippi River basin flood are the same ones who
eliminated almost 90 percent of their wetlands, turned over all the land to agriculture, and
channelized and leveed the rivers. A 1993 report by the Illinois State Water Survey (as cited in
Faber, 1993) clearly confirmed the importance of wetland areas by concluding that every one
percent increase in wetland area within a watershed decreases the peak flood runoff of that
watershed by 3.7 percent.