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Effects of Flood Protection on Land Use in the Coon Creek, Wisconsin, Watershed
Author(s) -
Theiler Donald F.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr005i006p01216
Subject(s) - watershed , flood myth , land use , soil conservation , watershed management , hydrology (agriculture) , agricultural land , agriculture , water resource management , environmental science , geography , civil engineering , engineering , archaeology , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science
In justifying small watershed projects under Public Law 566, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) frequently counts as a benefit the intensified use of agricultural land resulting from increased flood protection. This paper, based on a study of a watershed project in southwestern Wisconsin, shows that actual land use changes were far less than predicted by the SCS. The reasons are less related to the watershed project than they are to changes in farming practices. Questions could be raised concerning the adequacy of project evaluation techniques.