Research Argument Position

Following my research of the environmental effects of dams, I found reasons for and against dams. The issues like land destruction, loss of vegetation and wildlife, and sedimentation wanted me to argue for the complete removal of dams. However, I also research how dams can benefit the flow of water, provide renewable electricity, and promote life in areas previously uninhabitable. I realized how important the use of dams are to some humans' ways of life. They provide water reservoirs to humans in more desert-like environments like in the Western United States. They even prevent the downtown area of my hometown from flooding more often. Dams are too embedded in our lives to be completely taken away.

So, I am going to go on the position of the continued use of dams. However, I want all of the present dams and any new dams to be equipped with various methods to greatly reduce the negative environmental effects while maintaining the positives. These methods include the increased use of hydroelectric dams, transportation of vegetation and wildlife from a reservoir sites, means of not disrupting the migration patterns of wildlife, and the equal distribution of water flow and sediments. I am going to argue for the eco-conscious management of dams.