Dam Notes

What are the pros and cons of hydropower?

Pros
1. Dams are relatively inexpensive to

operate.
2. Dams generate clean power
-Hydropower is renewable and does
not emit greenhouse gases or other air
pollutants
3. Generate energy
4. Dams improve quality of life

prevent flooding*, create jobs,

and provide cheap electricity,
irrigation, and drinking water

Cons
1.Dams alter river habitats in many
ways
Upstream: flooding
Downstream: not enough water
2.Natural cycles are disrupted
-floodplains dont receive nutrients
from sediments because they get
trapped behind dams
3. Temperature of the water is
changed
aquatic populations go extinct.
4.Fish cant get upstream
Dams prevent anadromous fish from
laying eggs.
Modern Trends
In the US, the era of large dam
construction is probably over.
-Not so in developing countries (Brazil,
China, India).

Micro-hydropower: electricity
produced in a small stream without
having to build a big dam.
Micro-hydropower is much cheaper to
build
Can be used in remote areas
What are the effects of water diversion?
Water diversion projects bring water to
areas that need it
Example- Central Arizona Project Aqueduct
Cons
The Colorado River is heavily diverted
What water is left after all the
diversions comprises just
a trickle into the Gulf of California
On some days, water does not reach
the gulf
Diversion has drastically altered
rivers ecology