Rice Paddy Project

I've lurked here on permies for a few years, but finally have a question that I cannot answer.  

I live in Southern Michigan, USA.  I have a property just shy of 3 acres, or a tiny bit bigger than a hectare.  The 1900's farmhouse sits on a hill above a creek with a substantial floodway, about a third of my property.  We get seasonal flooding every spring and that land goes under about a foot (30cm), possibly as high as 2ft of water over it in outstanding flood events.  

Considering ways to utilize my margins I tried planting highland rice on it a few years in a row.  I never got my "paddies" (more like shallow trenches with very sandy soil) to hold water, which complicates rice culture in this climate substantially.  I had abandoned the project for a couple years until yesterday my kids asked if we could give it another go.  

The only way I'm doing this is if we can get the paddies sealed.  I've watched the BB video on building a tiny pond in sandy soil.  So I know it is possible to seal it, the issue becomes the flooding.  If I get these shallow paddies excavated out again and sealed, what are the odds that the flooding will undo all the effort and somehow wash out the seal?  My husband thinks it'll wash out, "Never underestimate the power of running water."  I'm not as convinced, but he's beginning to have me questioning my stance.  

What do you folks think?  

I have had some experience with flooding.
A couple of questions?
- Is the water actually moving in the paddy field location?
- `is it still water?
Moving water will cause damage.
- does the creek carry any silt?
- Or trees etc from upstream?

silt may fill your paddies up and trees may be left anywhere.

- So fences dont get ripped out, look at ways where they can survive a flood, basically you attach the wire mesh to the downside of the posts and only attach it at the top.
This allows debri to build up and push the fence open like a swinging gate. Most times theres no damage.

The water does move.  A 2ft high flooding event will be down in the banks within 36 hours usually.  But it usually doesn't move fast over the area outside of its banks.

Yes, trees get moved along, but I don't see much silt building up.  Likely due to the property immediately upstream from us being overgrown, there isn't much bare soil, and the vegetation there will filter what silt is being carried from further upstream.  

Thanks for the fencing suggestion.