Down Go The Dams
- At the start of the 20th century, Fossil Creek was a spring-fed waterway sustaining an oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert
- The wild river and lush riparian ecosystem attracted fish and a host of animals and plants that could not survive in other environments
- The river and its surrounds also attracted prospectors and settlers to the Southwest
- By 1916 engineers had dammed Fossil Creek, redirecting water through flumes that wound along steep hillsides to two hydroelectric plants
- Those plants powered the mining operations that fueled Arizona’s economic growth and helped support the rapid expansion of the city of Phoenix
- By 2001, however, the Fossil Creek generating stations were providing less than 0.1 percent of the state’s power supply
- Nearly two years ago the plants were shut down, and an experiment began to unfold
- Scientists are now monitoring the ecosystem to see whether it can recover after being partially sere for so long, to see whether native fish and plants can again take hold
- 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
- Today about 800,000 dams operate worldwide, 45,000 of which are large—that is, greater than 15 meters tall
- Benefit #1: Hydroelectric power makes up 20 percent of the globe’s electric supply, and the energy is largely clean and renewable, especially when contrasted with other sources
- Benefit #2: Dams control flooding, and their reservoirs provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation. Some serve to help navigation, by stabilizing flow
- Cost #1: Dams displace people and as a result have become increasingly controversial in the
developing world - Cost #2: The structures ruin vistas, trap sediments , stymie migratory fish and destroy ecosystems in and around waterways
- The rate of dam removal has exceeded the rate of construction for the past decade or so
- Biologists have also recorded unexpected problems
- The release of sediments trapped behind a dam’s walls can choke waterways, muddying the environment and wiping out insects and algae
- Sometimes the mud that had been held back by the structures is rife with contaminants
- Sediments that are not washed downstream can become problematic as well in causing fertile ground for potentially noxious exotic plants whose seeds they harbored once it dries out
- Dams have blocked invasive species from moving upriver and into zones above the dam
- Dam removal can pose dangers for people living nearby
- The fossil creek restoration project offers a prime example of the kind of planning that could help minimize the damaging effects of dam removal
- What to do with the accumulated sediments, to reroute water around the dam, keeping it as a barrier to exotics
- Often the biggest issue facing managers is how to contend with what can be a massive accumulation of dirt and debris
- If the sediments contain high levels of pollutants, the cost of removing them especially from remote locations has to be weighed against the ability of the waterway to wash them away
- But many 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
- Societies will continue to balance the pros and cons of dams, weighing their utility and benefits against their destructive costs
- Scientists must continue to learn about how best to remove dams so natural ecosystems and human communities both can thrive
Should dams be kept or removed? That is the question. The case of the Fossil Creek gives a great example in leading us to the answer. Fossil Creek used to be a beautiful spring-fed waterway that sustained the oasis in the middle of the Arizona desert. It also provided many plants and animals an ecosystem to live in and the fact that they couldn't survive in any other environments. By the year 1916, things have changed. Engineers took the dam down in the effort to redirect the water through flumes that wound along steep hillsides to the two hydroelectric plants. This in turn helped fuel Arizona's economic growth and support the rapid expansion of the city of Phoenix. However, it did not last long. In 2001, those same power plants were providing less than 0.1% of the state's power supply. Then, two years ago, it was shut down and experiments have begun to take place. Scientists wanted to see whether or not the ecosystem can recover after being partially sere for so long to see whether life would flourish again with fish and plants. Decommissioning dams have become a more common practice because of the reason that structures age, provides 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. There are a total of 800,000 dams operating worldwide. So far, more dams are being removed faster than being built. There are many benefits and costs of dams. One benefit for having a dam is that they make up 20% of the globe's electric supply and are both clean and renewable. One downside for having a dam is that they ruin vistas, trap sediments, stymie migratory fish, and destroy ecosystems in and around waterways. The list can go on and on and this goes to show that we may not even go that far deep and how important it is to weigh out all the benefits and costs before removing a dam. If we don't, we may face unanticipated results and struggle in the process. Therefore, scientists must continue to learn about how to best remove dams so that both the natural ecosystems and the human communities can thrive in peace.
It's amazing to see how much a dam can offer and as well as the negative side to it. I think its kind of obvious that in most of our situations in life we always first look over the pros and cons or another way to put it is benefits and costs. Sometimes we often choose to go the short-term route rather than the long-term route and that can lead us into unexpected scenarios. Some dams can be good and some can be bad and that is totally based on how the environment is like and how it can affect the nearby human communities. In a simpler thought, its just what kind of locations that a dam can be best suitable for and the area's response to that new dam in place. Always plan out before doing something or think before you act.