The St. Charles County floodplain held more than thirty billion cubic feet of water during the peak of the great 1993 flood.  Imagine if this water were pushed down stream.  The Mississippi River has experienced three 100-year flood events over the past decade.  But during this time, hundreds of acres of prime flood plains and wetlands have been converted to shopping centers, office parks, condominiums and warehouses.  The conversion of our region's flood plains from natural wetlands and family farms to suburban and industrial sprawl is eminent unless we begin to address the problem immediately.