They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique,
And a swinging hot spot.
It rained in the Houston area last week.
Now, considering we’ve all been worryin’ about a drought, you’d be forgiven for thinking that to be a good thing. But it turns out we can’t handle that much water at one time.
Torrential rains that flooded hundreds of northwest Harris County homes last week reinforced long-standing worries that development on the Katy Prairie could make future floods more frequent or more severe.
Development encouraged by a planned segment of the Grand Parkway connecting Interstate 10 to U.S. 290 threatens to diminish the environmentally sensitive prairie’s capacity to absorb floodwaters, said Jim Blackburn, an attorney representing the Sierra Club in two related lawsuits.
“The Katy Prairie, for decades, has been our sponge,” Blackburn said, noting that the prairie also provides valuable wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Hunh. Whoda thunk it?
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
Joni Mitchell tried to explain all this a long time ago.
How funny. In a sadly ridiculous kind of way.
Added: If you’re interested in learning more about the Katy Prairie, or want to help preserve this crucial area, visit the Katy Prairie Conservancy.
Cross-posted to Polimom, Too.