Wetlands prevent flooding by ...

Wetlands prevent flooding by holding water much like a sponge. By doing so, wetlands help keep river levels normal and filter and purify the surface water.Wetlands accept water during storms and whenever water levels are high. When water levels are low, wetlands slowly release water.Because of its many cleansing benefits, wetlands have been compared to kidneys. The analogy is good one. Wetlands and kidneys both help control water flow and cleanse the system.Wetlands also clean the water by filtering out sedimentation, decomposing vegetative matter and converting chemicals into useable form. The ability of wetlands to recycle nutrients makes them critical in the overall functioning of earth. No other ecosystem is as productive, nor as unique in this conversion process. In some places artificial wetlands were developed solely for the purpose of water purification.