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Lets Build Environment-Friendly Dams
Date
Lets Build Environment-Friendly Dams
The building of environmental friendly dams refers to the construction of dams which
will reduce, minimize, or cause no harm upon the ecosystems or the environment. Dams are
manmade barriers constructed in order to contain flow of water and they are built across a river,
lake, or sear leading to formation of a reservoir behind it. In the society, many grown-ups are
happy about the building of dams. This is because it leads to production of cheap hydroelectric
power, and also makes the economy boom. In the eyes of people in the society, one can read that
life has been better since the dam was built.
The debate concerning what to do about hydroelectric dams has been seen to range in
the United States since 1935 and also since the construction of the Hoover Dam in Arizona on
the Colorado River. There are around 200 hydro-dams in operation and about 600,000 of 3.5
million miles of our rivers are evidently lying behind dams (Rivers, 50). Even the vocal
opponents of these dams contest that, when properly utilized, these dams can offer a wide variety
of benefits to mankind, for instance recreational havens, and sources of electricity.
The Conservation Foundation in 1984 identified that dams are seen to retain about twothirds of our consumed water. In 1991, the Bureau of Reclamation discovered that dams provide
a tenth of the countries with electric power, irrigate farm lands worth more than 9 billion dollars,
and are visited by about a billion people in a year for recreation, it is not easy to dispute these
benefits. However, there are opponents who still question dam policy and also the fact that the
law only protects a quarter of one percent of our rivers. Mankind progress has always involved
some costs and as a result opponents of large dams kind of feel that these cost are too great in
order to justify the rewards. In the present times, the center of controversy around this basic

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argument is that: Do benefits that mankind receives for the dams worth the damage which these
dams cause to the rivers environment?
Publicity for dam opponents started from the creation of organizations such as American
Rivers. The increasingly professional organizations led to the raising of awareness of river
problems and thus the lobbying of the government to halt the projects concerning dams. The
main primary source on environmental damages which are caused by dams was brought out by
Nicholas Hildyard and Edward Golsmith who were dealing with the Ecological foundation.
Although the issue on dams is argued by dam constructing companies, power companies and
environmental organizations, the dam fate is decided by the government. The most important
argument revolves around the environmental harm that large dams can cause. The most
important problems as covered by Goldsmith and Hildyard are; relocation, consequences to
ecosystems and recreation, sedimentation and water quality.
For relocation, when the dam is built, the river that has been blocked must flood across
the land, and this forces people to leave their homes and move on. The tradition of settling
people on land that has low value and also the community and cultural integrity destruction is the
accused doing of faulty acreage survey (Weartherford & Brown, 253). The army Corps of
Engineers is apparently executing their own survey of properties which were to be resettled and
claimed 10-50 percent lower acreage than the acreage on the owners tittle deed. So, although
people are fairly compensated, there is no price one can put on someones home.
For water quality, salinization has quickly become a western disaster. This is due to the
reservoir evaporation combined with irrigation through soils which are naturally salty which
increase salinity at a very high rate in a year. For instance, on the Colorado River, the salinity
concentration has risen from about 200 ppm to 2000 ppm after dams were constructed. At some
point, salinity is seen to rise, and as the water becomes too salty, it also becomes poisonous and it
thus cant support fish and plant life.

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For losses due to consequences to ecosystems and recreation, there are fish populations
which get to be destroyed by a combination of water quality problem and inadequate release of
water (Radigan, 28). Fish are forced to adjust from warm to very cold water in a very short time
span as a result of drastically varied flows which hydropower dams discharge, that is , very low
when there is no demand for power and very high during peak demand hours for power. As a
result, this effect when combined with blocked spawning runs, the water problems lead to
eradication of populations of fish.
For sedimentation, there is a concern on the disruption of normal sedimentation
processes of rivers. The upstream of dams lead to the carrying downstream of sediments which
actually fill in the reservoirs. This is a long term problem as reservoirs will fill in hundreds of
years and at that time they will be rendered useless. The downstream effects tend to be greater
concern. Without a load of sediments, the banks and beaches of rivers are scurried by the river.
This leads to the destruction of beaches.
The above environmental problems however still make it difficult to gauge the amount
of damage being done. This is similar to the attempts to identify the extent of the ozone layer and
the problems of global warming. The end result is that until the damages reach a threshold, they
are slight and imperceptible. The time when these damages reach threshold they then become
irreversible.
According to the proponents of dam construction, the harms upon the environment and
recreation needs dont have the worth as compared to the benefits received from large dams.
They will thus continue with the fight for construction of dams and the dam policies until the
end. According to proponents, the major stances are that environmental effects are solvable and
not very much severe and that the dams have a multi-purpose value that is beneficial to the
whole society. In some way, maybe the dams interfere with the environment but everything also
does, for instance industries. ICOLD president, Jan Veltrop, brings out an idea that water supply,

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dam construction and mankinds survival are intricately interconnected. Thus, even with the
dangers to the environment, he comes to a conclusion that the only way to ensure plentiful of
water and energy supplies for the coming future is through dam construction.
For the water quality issue, the dam proponents bring out their own arguments. For the
salinization issue, there should be creation of high density polythene liners for irrigation canals
and also irrigation practices should be improved in order to dramatically decrease the problem.
In addition, there should be decrease in costs of maintenance of irrigation canals and decrease in
water loss (Pegan, 64).
For the sedimentation problem, they claim that the rivers should not reach a new
equilibrium. This will enable it to carry more sediment shortly after the dam is constructed. This
sediment load will thus decrease when the river adjusts to its new conditions. Thus, proponents
have the feeling that sedimentation studies which are conducted shortly after the dam
construction overestimate the sedimentation process.
For the fishing issue, it is evident that the main problem is with the management of the
water releases. The background of this problem is the Supreme Court and FERC decision which
states that minimum flow releases should not only dwell on fish and wildlife needs but all also
on economic feasibility. Thus, a low release can be allowed although it threatens wildlife. The
argument remains that it necessary to control water levels for hydro power and reservoir
purposes. The main stance for the dam proponents which does not counter point to the opponents
is that the necessity of dams as a purpose industry tool and also a preventive means for the future
of water supplies.
In deciding on what to do with large dams, it becomes kind of very impossible to
quantify by any means the benefits and detriments caused by dams. In the society today, both
environment and progress are valued and thus we need to try and bring a balance in our need of

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resources. As much as dam proponents have the solutions to the recreation and environmental
problems, opponents should wonder why those solutions are not being applied.
In conclusion, I believe that that construction of new dams is unavoidable. This is
because, due to the increasing demand in amount of water, dams have to be constructed.
However, for the future I see that lying in small scale projects will be a better option in order to
serve a more local population. Each dam when built, it should involve plans for irrigation
industry, fisheries, drinking water, and hydro power (Lyer, 107). Dam projects, if built on a
smaller scale will displace fewer people, do less harm to temperature, displace fewer, and cause
smaller changes to ecosystems and with the required management can offer a cost to benefit ratio
that is positive.

Cited Works
American, Rivers. Rivers at Risk: The Concerned Citizens to Hydropower. New York, 1989.
Print.
Kyle, Radigan. Dam It All. Trout, Summer Issue, 1991. Print.
Pegan, D. J. Looking to Liners for Reduced Canal Maintenance at Hydro Projects. Hydro
Review. 1994. Print.
Ramaswamy, Lyer. Large Dams: The right Perspective. Economic and Political Weekly. 1989.
Print.
Weatherford, G.D. & Brown, F. L. New Courses for The Colorado River, Albuquerque, N. M.
1986. Print.

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