Southern Swamp - Draining the Wetlands

Since 1905, the Cache River and its basin have been greatly changed. The Cache River used to empty into the Ohio River, but engineers rerouted it to empty into the Mississippi. Ditches have been dug to speed up the flow of water and drain wetlands for logging, farming, and flood control. Today, only small remnants of the natural communities that were present in 1673 remain.

Efforts are underway to restore wetlands in the Cache River Basin. In addition to providing habitat, wetlands also prevent or slow flooding, filter water, hold soil in place, and slow erosion of sediment into rivers.