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Justin Heyn

Composition IV

Mr. Rudebusch

8 January 2018

Dams: Are the Effects of Dams on the Environment Worth It?

In today’s society, many of the things we deal with on a daily basis are technologically in

need of a source of electricity. In many cases, there is a high demand for a cheap source of

energy that is both clean and effective to power all of our devices. One of the ways we provide

power for today’s society is through hydroelectricity produced by dams. Many dams have stood

the test of time and have provided a means of power for generations. Dams have provided a

cheap and very convenient way to produce large amounts of power to benefit us economically as

well as in the quality of our lives. These tall blockades are also flexible in that they can change

the amount of electricity they produce by altering the water flow through the dam. In a pie graph

produced by the United States Geological Survey agency, as a whole, the renewable energy

category makes up 10% of all energy sources used in the US. Breaking up the renewable energy

section into subsections, hydro-energy makes up 24% of the total energy produced in that

category. To put this into perspective, the Hoover Dam produces 4 billion kilowatt hours on

average annually. This is enough power to serve 1.3 million people across three different states

(Hoover Dam). So, you can conclude that dams do a very good job at what they are built for.

There are also a few other benefits that come along with the building of dams. In many cases, the

build up of the water can be used for irrigation, water supply, flood control, recreation, and a

hand full of other things. But, while dams may seem flawless, there are some major problems
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that you might not think about until they are pointed out. In many cases, the environmental harm

caused by the building of dams is not worth the economic benefits they provide.

When dams go up, local wildlife populations go down. Catherine Reidy Liermann of the

University of Wisconsin, Madison has studied the effect dams have on local wildlife populations.

When assessing the cause of population decreases in what she calls the “sixth extinction,” she

writes, "Dams are the big one…. We're already seeing species losses associated with dams, and

no doubt they play a role in the 'sixth extinction.’ There is a large proportion of the world's

freshwater fisheries that could be gone just from dams.” Liermann’s claim is supported by

research done by state universities and government agencies. Now, some advocates for dams

might argue that while some species of fish seem to die out due to dams, others prosper. That

might be true, but if any species of fish dies out, then eventually, they could become extinct.

According to research by the nonprofit California Trout Inc. and Peter Moyle, associate director

of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis, “Within 100 years,

nearly three-quarters of the state's remaining 31 species of salmon, steelhead and trout are

expected to go extinct.” But it’s not just the future we have to worry about; much damage has

already been done. Based on studies and data collected by Anthony Ricciardi of McGill

University and Joseph Rasmussen of the University of Lethbridge,

More than 120 North American freshwater species have gone extinct since

1900.... While the public often focuses on terrestrial endangered species... North

American freshwater species are expected to go extinct at a rate that is five times

faster, making it one of the "most stressed" ecosystems on the planet.

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The building of new and larger dams will further tax this already stressed environment. One of

the ways dams harm fish populations is by affecting their ability to migrate both up and down

stream freely.

One of the reasons fish populations suffer is because dams prevent species from traveling

up and down stream to their breeding grounds. According to Dr. Tej Kumar Shrestha, naturalist

and zoologist, “A dam will fragment and isolate upstream resident fish such as stone carp and

catfish from downstream… [and] obstruct the route of the long and mid-distance migratory

fish… [ultimately causing them to] abandon the original pool and colonize deep pool regions

downstream or upstream.” The problem of fish travel through dams has been around for quite

some time. It seems as though there hasn’t been an adequate solution for fish to travel through

dams. Many government officials would certainly take issue with the argument that laws are put

in place to make sure there are alternative routes for fish travel. Although this may be true, in Commented [1]: In this sentence, the phrase "take
issue with the argument" doesn't quite seem to make
sense.
many circumstances, these laws may not be followed to spec. For instance, in 1890,

Washington’s legislature passed a law attempting to solve the problem of fish migration through

dams. The law wasn’t integrated and fell through in 1922. This goes to show that even when

measures are taken to make dams more compatible with fish species, dams are still a problem for

fish migration, especially when the laws made are not followed as we see is sometimes the case.

Even when laws are put in place to protect fish migration, fish still seem to suffer. In

statistics presented by International Rivers, a group founded with the mission to protect rivers

and the rights of the communities that depend on them, the number of fish in the annual “salmon

run” has decreased dramatically in only one century. Throughout the mid 19th century, 10-16

million adult salmon made the trek to their breeding grounds. Within the late 20th century, the

number of salmon completing this “run” has dropped to about 1.5 million salmon. These
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reductions in population seem to be related to the building of dams. Fish appear to stray away

from having to go through dams to get to their breeding grounds. There are also other instances

when you’ll see the population of fish during migration decrease when dams are built. According

to the Columbia Basin Fish Passage Center, the number of fish passing through dams

experienced a spike in passage followed by a dramatic declination shortly thereafter. This

fluctuation is thought to be caused by the number of migratory fish not being able to make the

journey through the dam.

Dams not only have an effect on migratory fish but also have an effect on habitats

downstream. These habitats and the organisms living downstream are negatively affected by

several different factors. These factors make it hard for species to thrive in the places they call Commented [2]: Use a colon after this to give the
reader of the factors you're going to cover.
: particularly water temperature and climate.
home. According to Sandra L. Postel, a world expert in fresh water issues and related ecosystems

plus the founder of the Global Water Policy Project, an environmental research organization,

"Large dams and river diversions have proven to be primary destroyers of aquatic habitat,

contributing substantially to the destruction of fisheries, the extinction of species, and the overall

loss of the ecosystem services." This doesn’t seem to be the only problem arising from the

construction of dams, though. Another big problem that seems to be setting up a roadblock for

species to prosper is the temperature differences that dams create. Of course, many supporters of

dams will probably disagree on the grounds that dams are not the only cause of these temperature

differences. They might argue that maybe global warming has an effect on the temperatures in

rivers. But, according to Doug Moss and Roddy Scheer, editors of the EarthTalk blog, “... water

temperatures in dam reservoirs can differ greatly between the surface and depths, further

complicating survival for marine life evolved to handle natural temperature cycling.” For

example, before the Glen Canyon Dam was built on the Colorado River, the temperature “varied
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seasonally from highs of around 27 degrees centigrade to lows of near freezing.” After the dam

was built, though, the temperature below the surface, ceased to fluctuate causing the river to be

“too cold for the successful reproduction of native fish as far as 400 kilometres below the dam —

although introduced trout thrive in the cold water” (International Rivers). While dams don’t

cause water to become too cold, they do release cool water from deeper in the dam that causes

the water in the river to fluctuate making the environment for species to cold to live in.

This goes to show that maybe dams aren’t all that they are cracked up to be. Yes, they do

produce a lot of benefits for us in society, but they have a heavy impact on our environment and

the species living in it. There are a number of ways that we can produce this kind of energy

without doing so much damage to mother nature. Some other ways to produce a clean source of

energy is through wind turbines and solar panels. Unlike dams, these sources do not take up an

enormous amount of space and also produce substantial amount of energy for everyday use.

Another benefit of these energy sources is that they are practically harmless and they take up

very little space causing them to be even more effective. These two alternate sources are really

the best of both worlds. So, in conclusion, it is beneficial to think of new ways to benefit both

nature and society without destroying one or the other.

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Work Cited

BioScience. “Environmental Effects of Hydrological Alterations.” International Rivers, Sept.

2000, www.internationalrivers.org/environmental-effects-of-hydrological-alterations.

Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region Web Team, Hoover Dam Web Designer.

“HOOVER DAM.” Hoover Dam | Bureau of Reclamation, 7 Feb. 2017,

www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/faqs/powerfaq.html.

Columbia River History Project, John Harrison. “Nwcouncil.org.” Fish Passage at Dams, 31

Oct. 2008, www.nwcouncil.org/history/FishPassage.

“The Downside of Dams: Is the Environmental Price of Hydroelectric Power Too

High?”Scientific American, 2018,

www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dams-hurt-rivers/.

E&E News reporter Greenwire: Tuesday, September 26, 2017, Jeremy P. Jacobs.

“ENDANGERED SPECIES: Dams Seen Driving 'Mass Extinction' of

Salmon.”ENDANGERED SPECIES: Dams Seen Driving 'Mass Extinction' of Salmon --

Tuesday, September 26, 2017, 26 Sept. 2017, www.eenews.net/stories/1060061615.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. “Impacts of Dams on Rivers.” 3. IMPACTS OF

DAMS ON RIVERS, www.fao.org/docrep/005/y3994e/y3994e0i.htm.

Perlman, USGS Howard. “Hydroelectric Power Water Use.” Hydroelectric Power and
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Water. Basic Information about Hydroelectricity, the USGS Water Science School., 6 Dec.

2017, water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html.

Rosenburg, David M, et al. “Environmental Effects of Hydrological Alterations.” International

Rivers, www.internationalrivers.org/environmental-effects-of-hydrological-alterations.