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Hydroelectric dams and flooding solution
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When dams are created, such as the Glen Canyon Dam, their done so in hope to manipulate water flow for our benefit. These benefits, or positives come from a wide rang of categories. Some include hydroelectric power, controlled water supply, flood control, recreational areas for leisure activities such as boating and fishing. However, as we have progressed since the building of the damn in 1963, it seems we have dug up a lot more negatives than positives.
The building of the dam has created a problem with the sedimentary flow along the Colorado River, and important aspect for creating and livable habitat for fish, plants, and other wildlife. Since the building of the damn, we have seen four fish species go extinct, and a few more on the brink
There are nine dams in and directly leading to New York State’s Letchworth State Park. These dams have been built for a variety of reasons and affect nearly 400 miles of freshwater rivers in the Genesee River Basin of Western New York (Fish, n.d.).
The one feature common to the Hoover Dam, The Mississippi river and the three gorges dam is that they all tried to control nature’s swings, specifically in the form of flooding. Before the Hoover dam was built, the Colorado river “used to flood spectacularly…but after 1900 the Colorado provoked a vehement response” (Pg 177). The response was simple, but large. The U.S. built several large dams, including the Hoover dam, on the Colorado to decrease its flooding and increase power and irrigation. Unfortunately, just as human control of the Colorado’s flooding increased, its organisms and habitats were detrimentally influenced, and the water became more and more salinated.
However even all things have downside,for example the Laguna Dam was the first dam on the Colorado River so it marked the end of the steamboat era, but without the dam Yuma would have never been an agricultural
Wuerthner, George. North Idaho's Lake Country. Helena, MT: American & World Geographic Pub., 1995. Print.
we have all seen one. This particular dam had existed as an idea in the
...tion or loss of fish habitat, and inundation of wildlife habitat and land in some cases. There could be changes in stream water quality and reservoir in some cases as well.
The Three Gorges Dam is an unfinished project which will be the largest dam ever constructed on the planet Earth. It is situated in China on the third largest river in the world – the Yangtze. The dam has been debated over since the 1919 and is still a hot topic of debate because of its many pros and cons. In 1994 construction began on the dam, and it is expected to be finished by the year 2009. The massive dimensions of the dam are mind boggling and its functions – if the dam actually works – are truly remarkable; however, with such a large structure also comes difficulties, sacrifices, and cynics. The goal of this essay is to lend an understanding of the dam itself, the prospective benefits of the dam, and the potential drawbacks; this will provide the reader with a solid knowledge base to ascertain whether the dam will be advantageous or detrimental to the country of China.
This impressive engineering marvel still stands today to give power to the southwest, along with helping the farming community in the southwest. If this structure hadn’t been created, who knows what Las Vegas would be today or even if there would be anyone living in California. America would have been a significantly different place without the construction of this dam. It is one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th Century.
In some places, building hydroelectric dams will potential influence with extinction of animals because of river’s changes. According to Lin (2011), he states that dam construction will bring some negative effects on river basin, river flux, flooded area, river species, and river ecosystems (p. 1). These changes will produce irreversible harmful factors to animals who live in an affected river.
[A water reservoir is a human-made lake that is created when a river is dammed to serve one or more purposes, such as to generate hydropower production, provide a water supply for drinking, irrigation, and flood protection] (www.eea.europa.eu).
...to benefit the United States. Even those who oppose dams benefit from them in one way or another, destroying them would give our nation’s economic system a detrimental blow. Finally for the solution for this dilemma, I don’t believe there is an general solution. Each dam should be looked at individually, if the costs outweigh the benefits, then it should be destroyed, and vice versa. The issue of dams will not be easily solved. Ever since the first dam was built there has been controversy, and as long as one stands so will the debate.
Hydroelectric dams create a substantial amount of efficient clean power using a renewable resource. Because water is used to generate the power there are no emissions of greenhouse gases to pollute the environment. Running out of water is also not a problem seeing as we would have much bigger problems on our hands if such a thing happened. Dams also do good for the community as well, creating recreational areas, providing a tourist attraction, and controlling flooding. Hydroelectric dams are also not very complex often going years without needing repairs, and if they do the parts are all simple and can be replaced at low cost and quickly. There are so many positives to the dams that it is very easy to look overt the small amount of negative effects they have on us.
...the weather and terrain. The two key functions of dams are the ability to control the water flow and the creation of a place to store water that can supply farmers with water. The construction of dams are much more sustainable than dredging and can generate massive amounts of electricity. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of building dams, operating it is a complex matter.
Building dams will help in keep water around our community because we may run taps from our dams and not forgetting to clean up water first and these will help in getting water from the rain.
Today, although the construction of new dams is halting ( albeit with less vigor in underdeveloped countries) (de Villiers 146; Pielou 206), they are still being built around the globe for a multitude of social and economical reasons: flood control, hydroelectric power production, river navigation, irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, emergency water reservation, tourism, and flat-water recreation (e.g., NPDP n. pag.; Trout Unlimited 11). For all the benefits that dams provide, however, there are adverse effects and concerns that arise from manipulating the environment in such an unnatural manner.