早在1950年代,美国就有一些人开始提出,城市化增加了流域内暴雨的流量。这很容易理解:在田野或者森林里,地面吸收雨水并减慢水流;然而,一旦建筑商用不能渗水的硬化地表面替换了自然植被,一场大雨就会迅速变成滔滔的洪流。有报告表明,一些开发了的流域内,溪流、小河和沟渠泛滥的次数更多了。尽管洪涝增加的报告看起来貌似有理,但城市化与洪水之间的联系还需要系统的研究。 As early as the 1950s, some people in the United States began to propose that urbanization increased the flow of heavy rainfall in the basin. It is easy to understand that in fields or forests, the ground absorbs rain and slows the flow of water; however, once a builder replaces the natural vegetation with a harden surface that is impermeable to water, a heavy rain can quickly become a torrential torrent. Reports indicate that the number of streams, creek and ditches in some developed watersheds has increased. Despite the seemingly plausible reports of increased waterlogging, the link between urbanization and floods needs systematic research.