By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

Wetlands in Iowa help prevent nearly $500-million in flood damage every year, according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Report author Stacy Woods says wetlands are natural floodwater barriers that absorb and slow down rushing water like a sponge.

Federal data shows a decline in the number of wetlands, especially in the Prairie Pothole region, Great Lakes and southeast. Woods fears the trend could accelerate, as a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stripped away federal protections in the Clean Water Act for many wetlands.

Woods says, “It’s critically important that we really step up to protect the wetlands that remain, because we’re going to need them as our flooding frequency increases with this warming climate.”

The report’s findings build on peer-reviewed research, which estimates one acre of wetlands provides $745 of flood mitigation benefits to residential homes.

“We know that flooding is a significant issue,” she says. “It’s expensive, and it’s getting worse as the climate warms.”

Along with flood mitigation, the report says wetlands provide habitat and food for roughly half of the endangered species in the U.S. They also act as natural pollution filters for drinking water.

In the last two decades, Iowa has had six flood disasters with losses exceeding one-billion dollars.

“In our report, we were only looking at how wetlands benefit communities by mitigating flood damage,” Woods says, “but of course, wetlands bring so many benefits to communities.”

The report recommends boosting conservation programs that help restore and protect these habitats.