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Living near the Ohio River, flooding is a common problem. At times, the flooding becomes so severe that evacuation is necessary. People’s homes are destroyed, and the process of cleaning up after flooding is a lengthy and expensive process. Protecting your home from water is very important in flood prone areas. How can we use adaptations in nature to solve this problem?

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To solve the problem, it was necessary to find a plant or animal with adaptations that could inspire solutions to the problem. There were several things to consider. First, if most materials of a house are exposed to water, they can be ruined. How can we make those materials more water resistant? Second, would there be a way to raise the house above the floodwaters? Third, if we did find a way to raise the house above floodwaters, how would we keep it from floating away? These questions were taken into consideration when searching for adaptations. As I began looking for adaptations, I looked for plants or animals that are water resistant and float. I finally found the water lily plant and its adaptations seemed like they could provide some solutions.

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The water lily plant is often confused with the lotus plant, although they are different. One of the main differences are the leaves of the plants. Water lily leaves are covered in a waxy substance, whereas lotus leaves are not. Water lily leaves are thick and flat, whereas lotus leaves are thin, papery, and wavy.

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The water lily plant is a member of the Nymphaeaceae plant family. The water lily plant lives in temperate and tropical biomes, and live in fresh water.
1. The water lily leaves have a large surface area that allows it to distribute is weight on the surface of the water.
2. The water lily leaves are coated in a waxy substance that repels water.
3. The stalks of the water lily leaves have many air pockets inside to help the plant float.
4. The water lily's roots stretch deep into the mud and anchor the plant in place.

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Notice the shiny, waxy appearance of the leaves and the water droplets that have collected on the surface. Also notice the large surface area.

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The stalk of the water lily contains air pockets to help the plant float.

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The roots of the plant are anchored in the mud, and the stalk extends to the leaf of the plant above water.

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The four adaptations listed here could help society in many ways.
1. It could aid in the design and creation of a waterproof substance that could be applied to various surfaces.
2. It could inspire floatation devices.
3. It could inspire the design of anchoring systems for boats or oil rigs. It could also anchor soil in landscaping to prevent water erosion.
4. The adaptations could inspire designs with large surface areas to maximize the collection of solar energy.
5. It could inspire a design to keep houses from being destroyed by flooding. A design utilizing this idea will be the focus of this project.

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1. The water lily leaf's large surface area enables it to distribute more weight over a larger space, allowing it to support more weight. This could be used to create a surface for a house to rest upon. A large enough surface area may support the weight of a house.
2. The waxy surface of the leaf could be applied to the floating part of the design to repel water and keep it from getting inside the house.
3. The stalk of the water lily contains air pockets. A stalk-like addition to the design could further aid floatation and connect it to the bottom part of the design.
4. The roots of the water lily anchor it in place. Creating a root-like anchoring system in the design could ensure that the house does not float away after a flood.

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Here is a picture of the very first design for the prototype. As you can see, it was in the early stages of the design process and only has the disk or "leaf."

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Flood Prevention System Early Prototype 2 

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Flood Prevention System Early Prototype 2 

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In this design, "roots" were added to prevent the house from floating away.

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Flood Prevention System Prototype 3 (Best Design)

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Flood Prevention System Prototype 3 (Best Design)

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Here is a picture of the best original prototype design for the Flood Prevention System.

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Here is an improved prototype design for the Flood Prevention System. The explanation for the change is included on the design.

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Here are some pictures of the model house without the Flood Prevention System. Observe how it sank into the floodwaters. It also began to float away with nothing to anchor it to the bottom of the container.

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Flood Prevention System Model (out of water) 

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Flood Prevention System Model (out of water) 

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Here is a model of the final design before the flood simulation. The house is made of cardboard. The disk that mimics the leaf of a water lily plant is made from a paper plate. The paper plate was covered in wax paper to mimic the waxy substance on water lily leaves. The “stem” is made from a plastic straw, and the “roots” are made from twine.

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Here are some pictures of the Flood Prevention System in action during a flood simulation. Notice how the “roots” are anchored to the ground; the “stem” is supporting and improving the floatation of the system; the large surface area of the disk is distributing the weight of the house on the surface of the water; and the waxy texture of the disk is repealing water. As a result, the house floated above the water, did not float away because it was anchored in place, and the base repelled water.

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Source for water lily research:  https://www.britannica.com/plant/water-lily
Sources for pictures: Picture under the “Problem” post from, https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=weOHdXUr&id=00EB93E441C0279B80C2F47939DE69054A1C8820&thid=OIP.weOHdXUripL3mqgjRJqeAwHaFj&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fclipartsworld.com%2Fimages%2Fclipart-flooded-basement-10.jpg&exph=459&expw=612&q=flooded+basement+stock+image&simid=608050898434393346&ck=2CB18749087B487F1D5342453EE15BB8&selectedindex=225&form=IRPRST&vt=1&sim=11
Water lily vs. Lotus created by Hannah Compton from pictures on https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Nymphaea_caerulea_Botanic_Gardens_Adelaide.jpg/1024px-Nymphaea_caerulea_Botanic_Gardens_Adelaide.jpg and
https://diggingri.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/dscn9251.jpg
Picture used for Adaptations 1 & 2 post: https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/water-drops-on-lily-pad-renee-trenholm.jpg

Picture used for Adaptation 3 post: https://img1.etsystatic.com/011/0/7633714/il_fullxfull.409310661_m3y6.jpg

Picture used for Adaptation 4 post: https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/06/12151757/adding-plant-roots-into-soil-with-berlap-cab6cdd5.jpg
All other pictures taken by Hannah Compton.