Effects of Urbanization on Stream Flows

Effects of urbanization on stream flows. Todd Evans Human urbanization can drastically affect the flow of surrounding streams and rivers. The development of buildings with parking lots, roads, driveways and rooftops, often result in excess water runoffs into streams. This excess water activity can change the base levels, and increase flashiness, the potential for flooding, and the speed of the floodwater subsiding.
Due to impermeable surfaces made by man, rain water cannot penetrate and filtrate through the soil. This increases the overland flow into streams, lakes and rivers, which decreases the base levels in streams. An increase in pollution is also a result of the developments of man. Polluting streams and rivers, decreases our clean drinking water resources.
Flash flooding or rapid high water flooding also results as a result of human development. Rainfall gathers very quickly when rain cannot penetrate soil. Flash floods can be very dangerous both to the environment and to human life. The effects of flooding change the way we plan and build our communities and leave an everlasting mark on our planet.
The result of human developments has changed one of the most valuable resources on earth-water. It has reduced the amount of clean drinking water for both humans and wild life. And it has also changed the rates of erosion on our planet. Poisoning our lakes and rivers with pollutants causes a drastic drop in levels of food. With an ever increasing rate in human population and urbanization we are killing everything on this planet including ourselves.