By Bob McNitt

Outdoors Writer

The soggy events of recent days is a liquid reminder that nature can, at any time, inundate us with such a surplus of precipitation that streams and rivers overflow and basements of structures can be transformed into indoor wading and swimming pools while lawns and fields become shallow lakes. We all know the negatives that flooding can bring, but are there any benefits to it? Of course there are. However, contemporary society tends to concentrate primarily on eliminating them, often unsuccessfully.

Natural flooding on our planet has been occurring ever since water vapors first rose to form clouds which then released it in the form of rain. Floods move and distribute large amounts of water and suspended sediment over surrounding areas which helps replenish valuable topsoil components and can keep the elevation of lands above sea level. The best example is the Mississippi delta - at least before massive manmade control measures were adopted all along the river's length to discourage flooding.