--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we talk of flood control, we usually…" description: "\"When we talk of flood control, we usually think of dams and deeper river channels, to impound the waters or hurry their run-off. Yet neither is the ult..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/hal-borland-9706_conditions_when-we-talk-of-flood-control-we-usually_657167.png" --- # When we talk of flood control, we usually think of dams… ![“When we talk of flood control, we usually think of dams and deeper river channels, to impound the waters or hurry their run-off. Yet neither is the ultimate solution, simply because floods are caused by the flow of water downhill. If the hills are wooded, that flow is checked. If there is a swamp…” quote by Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/hal-borland-9706_conditions_when-we-talk-of-flood-control-we-usually_657167.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/hal-borland-9706_conditions_when-we-talk-of-flood-control-we-usually_657167.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/hal-borland-9706_conditions_when-we-talk-of-flood-control-we-usually_657167.png) > “When we talk of flood control, we usually think of dams and deeper river channels, to impound the waters or hurry their run-off. Yet neither is the ultimate solution, simply because floods are caused by the flow of water downhill. If the hills are wooded, that flow is checked. If there is a swamp at the foot of the hills, the swamp sponges up most of the excess water, restores some of it to the underground water supply and feeds the remainder slowly into the streams. Strip the hills, drain the boglands, and you create flood conditions inevitably. Yet that is what we have been doing for years.” [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that natural flood control relies on preserving hills and swamps, not just engineering structures. **In simple terms:** Nature’s own features prevent floods better than dams. Key Takeaway Protect ecosystems to manage floods. Themes environment engineering water management Mood concerned analytical Type environmental educational When to use this quote - urban planning - land development - conservation projects - disaster mitigation Key Concepts ecosystem services hydrology Questions to Reflect On - How can modern cities integrate natural flood defenses? - What policies support ecosystem preservation? A Different Perspective Human development often ignores ecological balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flood/) [Floods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floods/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Flow Of Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow-of-water/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Problems and solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems-and-solutions/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Solution to a problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solution-to-a-problem/) [Swamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swamps/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [Strip the hills, drain the boglands, and you create flood conditions inevitably. 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