Article: Down Go the Dams
Author: Jane C. Marks
Dams have proven to be useful in the past. A dam in Fossil Creek, Arizona helped power the mining operations that fueled Arizona's economic growth and supported Phoenix's rapid expansion. However, Fossil Creek generating stations only provided less than .1% of the state's water supply. Recently, decommissioning dams has become more common for several reasons; as "structures age, provide an inconsequential share of a region’s power, become unsafe or too costly to repair, or as communities decide they want their rivers wild and full of fish again". The effects of decommissioning a dam can be uncertain. Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will return to normal and flourish again. There are over 800,000 dams worldwide. There are pros and cons to dams. On one hand, dams provide up to 20% of the world's electricity; most of that energy is clean and renewable. In addition, dams control flooding, provide a reliable supply of water, and stabilize flow. On the other hand, dams displace people, ruin vistas, trap sediments, and destroy ecosystems. When deciding whether or not to decommission a dam, we should weigh the pros and cons. We have to be extremely careful if we decide to remove the dam. Removal of dams have been successful in many places. In most places where dams have been eliminated, water clarity and oxygen levels had increased while aquatic animals thrived. Careful planning can minimize the damaging effects of dam removal, we just need to find the best way to remove dams so that natural environments and human communities can both thrive without harm.
I didn't know dams were so important. I never heard of any other dams besides the Hoover Dam before reading this article. I've never been to one, I only saw one, The Hoover Dam, in the movie San Andreas. It was very large. Dams can be both beneficial and harmful to the environment. If we are to build dams, we have to choose what is more important to us, clean and renewable energy, or our ecosystems. Weighing pros and cons of dams is weighing utility and benefits against destructive costs. I think that some dams are good, but only in the right environment and location, and in moderation. Dams provide clean and renewable energy, which is very good for the environment and the future. However, dams can damage valuable ecosystems, which could be irreversible. As one can see, there are so many different opinions on dams. If we are going to remove current dams, it should be in the right way to best minimize the damage that could be done to local ecosystems, the surrounding environment, and nearby communities. Overall, dams are great!
Author: Jane C. Marks
- At the start of the 20th century, Fossil Creek was a spring-fed waterway sustaining an oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert
- The wild river and lush ecosystem attracted fish, animals, and plants that could not survive in other environments; in addition, it attracted prospectors and settlers to the Southwest
- By 1916, engineers dammed Fossil Creek, redirecting water through flumes that wound along steep hillsides to two hydroelectric plants, which powered the mining operations that fueled Arizona’s economic growth and supported the rapid expansion of Phoenix
- However, by 2001, Fossil Creek generating stations were only providing less than .1% of the state's power supply
- The plants were shut down and the dam was retired, restoring most of the flow of Fossil Creek; was an experiment to see if the ecosystem could recover
- Decommissioning dams is common when "structures age, provide an inconsequential share of a region’s power, become unsafe or too costly to repair, or as communities decide they want their rivers wild and full of fish again"
- Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will return to normal and flourish again; it is much more complex and intricate than people anticipate
- 800,000 dams operate worldwide; 45,000 of those are large (meaning they're taller than 15 meters)
- Pros: Hydroelectric power makes up 20 percent of the globe’s electric supply; most of the energy is clean and renewable; dams control flooding, provide a reliable supply of water for activities (irrigation, drinking, recreation, etc.), and can help navigation, by stabilizing flow
- Cons: Dams displace people, ruin vistas, trap sediment, destroy ecosystems in/around waterways
- In most places where dams have been eliminated, water clarity and oxygen levels increase, aquatic animals thrive, people come back to enjoy the scenery
- Release of sediment trapped behind a dam's wall can choke waterways, muddying the environment and wiping out insects/algae, and eliminating habitat for filter feeders
- Sometimes the mud that was held back by dams contains contaminants
- Unwashed down sediment can provide fertile ground for invasive species when dried out
- Dams can provide habitat for locally threatened species and can block invasive species from moving in
- Dam removal can pose dangers for people living near by
- Planning can minimize the damaging effects of dam removal; deciding what to do with accumulated sediments, rerouting water around the dam to keep out exotic species
- Scientists test dams for dirt and debris; if sediment contains high levels of pollutants but river flow is low, engineers may remove the dam in small stages
- Weighing pro and cons of dams: utility and benefits against destructive costs
- Scientists have to learn how to best remove dams so natural environments and human communities can thrive
Dams have proven to be useful in the past. A dam in Fossil Creek, Arizona helped power the mining operations that fueled Arizona's economic growth and supported Phoenix's rapid expansion. However, Fossil Creek generating stations only provided less than .1% of the state's water supply. Recently, decommissioning dams has become more common for several reasons; as "structures age, provide an inconsequential share of a region’s power, become unsafe or too costly to repair, or as communities decide they want their rivers wild and full of fish again". The effects of decommissioning a dam can be uncertain. Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will return to normal and flourish again. There are over 800,000 dams worldwide. There are pros and cons to dams. On one hand, dams provide up to 20% of the world's electricity; most of that energy is clean and renewable. In addition, dams control flooding, provide a reliable supply of water, and stabilize flow. On the other hand, dams displace people, ruin vistas, trap sediments, and destroy ecosystems. When deciding whether or not to decommission a dam, we should weigh the pros and cons. We have to be extremely careful if we decide to remove the dam. Removal of dams have been successful in many places. In most places where dams have been eliminated, water clarity and oxygen levels had increased while aquatic animals thrived. Careful planning can minimize the damaging effects of dam removal, we just need to find the best way to remove dams so that natural environments and human communities can both thrive without harm.
I didn't know dams were so important. I never heard of any other dams besides the Hoover Dam before reading this article. I've never been to one, I only saw one, The Hoover Dam, in the movie San Andreas. It was very large. Dams can be both beneficial and harmful to the environment. If we are to build dams, we have to choose what is more important to us, clean and renewable energy, or our ecosystems. Weighing pros and cons of dams is weighing utility and benefits against destructive costs. I think that some dams are good, but only in the right environment and location, and in moderation. Dams provide clean and renewable energy, which is very good for the environment and the future. However, dams can damage valuable ecosystems, which could be irreversible. As one can see, there are so many different opinions on dams. If we are going to remove current dams, it should be in the right way to best minimize the damage that could be done to local ecosystems, the surrounding environment, and nearby communities. Overall, dams are great!