listt the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
Dams themselves has their own pros and cons. Dams control flooding and provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation. The downside, however is that it displaces homes of humans and the marine organisms that live in that area. The decommissioning of dams also has its pros and cons. Pros of the removal of dams include clearer water. With removal of dams, the dissolved oxygen levels increase over time. With the water moving freely, temperatures will lower again and many fish species and invertebrates will thrive in the waters again. The bad about removing dams is the concern over sediment. Removing dams can release sediment that would choke waterways and mudify the water. This can kill important food for fish. Some people also think that keeping the dams where they are is a good thing. One idea is to preserve the dam, and that dam can become part of the restoration plans. Ideas like these, with the help of ecological insights and more flexible engineering can help fulfill the promise to the group that wants removal of dams and the group that wants to keep the dams where they are.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
This article presented points of both the positives and negatives of removing dams. A pro is that it can beautify the location. This would mean that there would be more tourism and basically and economic benefit to the city or state that contain the body of water that once had a dam. Another pro that I though was a great point was that removing dams would allow biodiversity to come back. I also agree with some of the points presented in the fact that removal of dams is unsafe. I read in a book that removal of dams costs more money than the creation of that dam. A con that I think needs to be accounted for is the risk of flooding. Without a dam to block off the water, the flooding can kill thousands of people.
So What?
Removal of dams has is pros and cons
Says who?
Jane C. Marks
What if...?
Benefits of dams outweighed the consequences? More dams would stay un-removed
What does this remind me of?
Everything else that has pros and cons.
- Decommissioning dams is becoming a regular occurrence 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.
- Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will flourish once more.
- Reality often proves far more complex and intricate than people anticipate.
- People are trying to minimize negative results of removing dams
- 800,000 dams worldwide, 45,000 are large
- Benefits- hydroelectric power makes up of 20% of all electric supply and energy is clean and renewable.
- Dams control flooding and provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation.
- Dams displace people and have been controversial in developing the world.
- Structures ruin vistas, trap sediments, stymie migratory fish and destroy ecosystems in and around the waterways
- Conservationists have a long history of opposing dams
- Downsides of dams have become more widely recognized
- Rate of dam removal has exceeded the rate of construction for the past decade or so.
- In previous two years alone, 80 dams have fallen and researchers following the trend expect that dams will continue to come down.
- Successes have driven much of the activity of destroying dams
- Water clarity and oxygen levels increase as flows come back and aquatic insects thrive again.
- As water moves more freely, temperature falls and cold-loving fish return.
- People, in addition to flora and fauna return to enjoy the rivers.
- Biologists have observed these benefits from Wisconsin to South Wales in Australia.
- Problems: release of sediments trapped behind a dam's walls can choke waterways, muddying the environment and wiping out insects and algae which are important food for fish.
- Wave of turbidity can eliminate habitat for filter feeders.
- Mud is rife with contaminants.
- Dams blocked invasive species from moving upriver and into zones above the dam
- Dam removal can pose dangers for people living nearby in places where flood control is crucial
- Sediments stuck behind dams are proving crucial variables when dams are taken down.
- Biggest issue is how to contend with what can be a massive accumulation of dirt and debris.
- If sediments contain high level of pollutants, cost of removing them has to be weighed against the ability of the waterway to wash them away.
- If sediment load is very high and the river's flushing capacity low, engineers might opt to remove the dam in stages, allowing small amounts of sediment to be released at a time.
- Managers and scientists are using all available information about dam removal to make decisions.
- Gaps in our knowledge about ecosystems remain and those working on decommissioning dams recognize they are conducting long term experiments that may have unanticipated results.
- Engineers who were once dedicated to building dams now work on decommissioning them.
- U.S Government agencies are studying how to provide the benefits of the structures without their injourious efforts.
- Societies will continue to balance the pros and cons of dams, weighing utility and benefits against destructive costs. Scientists must continue to learn about how to remove dams so natural ecosystems and human communities can thrive.
- Controversy about decommissioning arises.
- Local community wanted to preserve components of the generating station
- Preservation of the dam can become part of the restoration plan
- Compromises like these , along with further ecological insights and more flexible engineering, it seems possible to think of the world's waterways as ultimately fulfilling their promise for all parties
Dams themselves has their own pros and cons. Dams control flooding and provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation. The downside, however is that it displaces homes of humans and the marine organisms that live in that area. The decommissioning of dams also has its pros and cons. Pros of the removal of dams include clearer water. With removal of dams, the dissolved oxygen levels increase over time. With the water moving freely, temperatures will lower again and many fish species and invertebrates will thrive in the waters again. The bad about removing dams is the concern over sediment. Removing dams can release sediment that would choke waterways and mudify the water. This can kill important food for fish. Some people also think that keeping the dams where they are is a good thing. One idea is to preserve the dam, and that dam can become part of the restoration plans. Ideas like these, with the help of ecological insights and more flexible engineering can help fulfill the promise to the group that wants removal of dams and the group that wants to keep the dams where they are.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
This article presented points of both the positives and negatives of removing dams. A pro is that it can beautify the location. This would mean that there would be more tourism and basically and economic benefit to the city or state that contain the body of water that once had a dam. Another pro that I though was a great point was that removing dams would allow biodiversity to come back. I also agree with some of the points presented in the fact that removal of dams is unsafe. I read in a book that removal of dams costs more money than the creation of that dam. A con that I think needs to be accounted for is the risk of flooding. Without a dam to block off the water, the flooding can kill thousands of people.
So What?
Removal of dams has is pros and cons
Says who?
Jane C. Marks
What if...?
Benefits of dams outweighed the consequences? More dams would stay un-removed
What does this remind me of?
Everything else that has pros and cons.