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An invaluable benefit is not only the study of the processes taking place in the marshes.
The structureless, waterproof plastic layers of the soil of the marsh bottom (they are called gley soils) are formed in natural conditions with the active participation of microorganisms. This prompted scientists to improve the storage capacity of artificial reservoirs. Based on the study of natural processes of gelling, a simple and inexpensive biochemical method was proposed, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the moisture permeability of artificial reservoirs and reduce water losses. This method has been applied. On the basis of the bottom of pits or ditches, bulldozers distributed agricultural waste rich in fiber: straw, weeds, potato tops, etc., poured a layer of soil 15 ... 20 cm thick and flooded this area with water. In such a peculiar layered screen, the vegetable matter serves as a nutrient medium for anaerobic bacteria. In the process of vital activity, taking away oxygen from soil particles, these bacteria change the structure of the soil and promote the formation of a waterproof layer. Within two months, a gley layer appears up to 5 cm in thickness, and in three years - up to 35 cm, and water penetration into the soil practically ceases. So "tamed" bacteria help to save hundreds of millions of cubic meters of water.
Nature can do everything!