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When it floods in Houston, coral reefs pay
While the floods of the last decade might be in the back of Houstonians’ collective brain, pollution left behind is one thing to remember.
Researchers found pollution from Houston’s major floods in 2016 and 2017 in marine life made it nearly 100 miles off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Houston Public Media’s Katie Watkins.
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Waters surrounding the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary were murky in 2016 just after the infamous Tax Day Flood. Samples show human feces in sponges, suggesting that floodwaters from the rain event made it all the way out there.
Researchers from Rice University, University of Houston–Clear Lake, Texas A&M University and others found that the odd murkiness and feces were from when floods pushed wastewater and other runoff into the gulf through Houston’s vast flood management network.
They did so by taking samples from years without floods and compared them to years with floods, Watkins reported.
“There is the potential that we could have more flooding and more significant runoff events, leading to problems out on the reef,” researcher Adrienne Correa said.
The runoff is harmful for marine life, including at the sanctuary where the contamination was found. The mixture of sediment and freshwater, along with excessive nutrients can cause negative impacts, the research shows.