Environmental Impact of Damns

Although dams have some positive impacts on humans and some wildlife, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing the physical changes that occur in rivers caused by dams destroy river systems. More than 840,000 dams are in operational use worldwide, of these 80,000 are in the United States. With this many dams in the world obstructing free flowing rivers; the impacts are bound to be significant. The damaging effects of dams can be minimized and in many cases reversed through decommissioning dams that are outdated or no longer productive and by implementing a long-term monitoring plan with a focus on restoration of fluvial systems. During the course of this paper I will also examine 2 United States dams, Shasta Dam and the Hoover Dam. I will also examine the impact these dams have on the rivers they are obstructing and how do they physically change river systems? I chose this topic because when I was a small boy on a camping trip near Shasta Lake with my family, my parents took my brothers and me on a tour of Shasta Dam. Even as a small boy, I knew that in order to create massive structures like this dam was an engineering feat and I have been fascinated ever since.

Here is a little background on dams regarding shape, size, and some of the effects they have leading to physically altering river systems, which will be covered late. There are a variety of dams, but the four most common are gravity, arch, buttress, and embankment dams. The type of dam built depends on several variables cost, purpose, and size needed. There has not been extensive research on how the style of dam affects rivers compared to one another and this impact may be minimal. However the size of the dam does have noticeable impacts that increase as the si...

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...done. With eight-five percent of the world’s dams in the large dam category exceeding their projected life span by 2020; the potential for disaster if any of these dams should break, could not only destroy wildlife, kill humans, but once again physically change the landscape to the rivers as well. Although dams do have some positive impacts on humans for recreation and hydroelectric power, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing more harm is done than good, by destroying riparian ecosystems and physically changing the natural flow of rivers permanently. Let’s work toward a better tomorrow and repair the damage that has been done. The damaging effects dams have on rivers by removing some of the dams no longer meeting certain operating standards, regulating better water flow, and a better system for allowing aquatic life and sedimentation to pass through.