Intro and Bibliography

Humans have been building dams for centuries. It is only recently though that attention has been paid to the variety of environmental impacts dams cause on the surrounding ecosystem. A dam is meant to control a fundamental part of any ecosystem, water. Altering the flow of water, alters the landscape and wildlife depending on both. One example of this is how the damming of rivers hinders the upstream and downstream movements of fish. This impact greatly hinders their migration. However, the creation of a reservoir by dams can allow certain species of fish to thrive where they would experience difficulties living in the original water system. But when these reservoirs are created, they flood previous landscapes. These landscapes along with the vegetation and wildlife on them are destroyed. Some of these buried landscapes have been beautiful scenery. A perfect example of this is the Three Gorges Dam current under construction in China. The Three Gorges area is a beautiful landscape, but is slowly being flooded by the construction of the dam. Many landslides have occurred in the area since construction began. However, I bright note that should be included is it will be a hydroelectric dam. This type of dam means that as the water passes through the dam, turbines will be turned and produce electricity without the same emissions as coal. Hydroelectric dams are not used enough in the world though to counter other emissions caused by dams though. There has been research completed though to take already existing dams and turn them into hydroelectric dams. The water that passes through dams is greatly controlled and as a result flooding is greatly reduced. This reduction in flooding can save the lives and property of humans and wildlife. However, it may also kill off vegetation downstream that depended on yearly flooding for water. The lack of vegetation may then lead to the dying off of wildlife anyway. The real environmental benefits of dams are the way they change the environment in order to support human life. The reservoirs store water for human consumption. This offers water to individuals in areas that lack an ample supply of clean water. The reservoirs also allow water for irrigation purposes, so that agriculture can take place in areas. Dams naturally control the flow of water. This allows for the prevention of flooding, which from a human standpoint is an environmental benefit. Given, the lack of flooding hinders the adaptability of animals to handle floods when they do occur. The water flow of dams can also be increased to maintain an ample water supply during dry seasons. These points show that dams create both positive and negative impacts on the environment. This research paper will greatly explore the environmental impacts of dams and the possible solutions for reducing the negative impacts created by dams.

Levin, Myron. "INNOVATE: CLEAN POWER THAT'S EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT." Sierra 95.1 (2010), 14-14.
McCartney. "Living with dams: managing the environmental impacts." Water Policy 11.s1 (2009), 121-139.
McCully, Patrick. "Rivers No More: The Environmental Effects of Large Dams." International Rivers. International Rivers, Web. 1 Feb 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/world/asia/19dam.html.

Yardley, Jim. " Chinese Dam Projects Criticized for Their Human Costs." New York Times November 19, 2007: 1-5. Web. 1 Feb 2010. http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/1636.