Compare And Contrast Hoover Glen Canyon And The 3 Gorges

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Hoover, Glen Canyon, and the Three Gorges. What do these three things have in common? They are all man-made dams. Throughout the world, man-made dams affect the three pillars of sustainability. A legend of controversy surrounding these dams has created a unique background story, as well as shown the positives and negatives of these man-made wonders.
I. Dams have been created by man throughout history.
a. Author Patrick McCully of Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams (2001), reports that the first dam was built around 3000 B.C. (p. 11).
i. It was known as the Jawa dam. ii. Today, its remains can be found in Jordan.
b. According to Dams as Aid author Ann Usher (1997), “a man-made dam is a cement wall that blocks the natural flow of a river” (p. 3).
i. …show more content…

There are two main functions of dams.
1. Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams author Patrick McCully (2001) reports that dams store water for river fluctuations as well as for energy and water demands (p. 11).
2. Another function is raising the water level upstream to generate electricity (McCully, 2001). ii. The Bureau of Reclamation’s article, “Hoover Dam: What is Biggest?” (2012), announced the largest dam is 984 feet tall while the largest hydropower dam produces 90 billion kilo-watts of energy per year (¶ 3-4).
II. Man-made dams have a positive impact on the environment, economy, and society.
a. In certain aspects, man-made dams are environmentally-friendly.
i. Man-made dams are a renewable energy source.
1. The article “Hydropower as a Renewable Energy Source” (n.d.) shows that man-made dams make up seventy-five percent of the United States’ total renewable energy.
2. This is equivalent to burning 200 billion barrels of oil (“Hydropower,” n.d.). ii. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s article, “Benefit of Dams” (2012) analyzes how dams prevent flooding by releasing the excess water in controlled amounts through floodgates (¶ 3).
b. The economy thrives through man-made

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