Friday, May 22, 2009

NINE REASONS FOR NOT CULVERTING A CREEK

1. Flooding has not been a major problem in parts of the Bay area for many years (except from culverts clogging up); most creek problems involve erosion, which can be dealt with in other ways


2. Culverting is not cost effective; in fact, it is the most expensive way to solve creek problems


3. Serious problems, such as further erosion and flooding, often develop upstream and downstream of a culvert


4. Culverts can be extremely unsafe on or near earthquake fault lines


5. In Mediterranean climates (such as California's) silting-up of culverts is a major problem, so continuous costly dredging may be required


6. The straight line created by culverting causes more chance of an overload then does a creek's natural meander (due to the increased velocity of flow)


7. Culverting destroys habitats of fish and animals


8. Culverting prevents the renewal of ground water to adjacent wetlands


9. Culverting destroys areas of natural beauty, places that are great playgrounds for neighborhood children and natural park resources

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