Dam and Diversion Notes

What are the pros and cons of hydropower?

What are the pros and cons to generating electricity from hydropower?
1. Dams are relatively inexpensive to operate.
Yet, they are very expensive to build.
2. Dams generate clean power
Hydropower is renewable and doesnt emit greenhouse gases or other air
pollutants*
3. 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. 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
Water diversion (aqueducts): what are the effects of water diversion?
Water diversion projects bring water to areas that need it
We divert and deplete surface water
People have long diverted water to farm fields, homes, and cities. The once mighty
Colorado River has been extensively dammed and diverted
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 the rivers ecology
The Aral Sea
Once the fourth-largest lake on Earth
It has lost more than 80% of its volume in just 45 years

The two rivers leading into the Aral Sea were diverted to irrigate cotton fields
Consequences of a shrinking sea
60,000 fishing jobs are gone
Pesticide-laden dust from the lake bed is blown into the air
The cotton cannot bring back the regions economy
Will we see a future of water wars?
Freshwater depletion leads to shortages, which can lead to conflict
261 major rivers cross national borders
Water is a key element in hostilities among Israel, Palestinians, and neighboring
countries
Many nations have cooperated with neighbors to resolve disputes