River Damming
Water, the life blood of the planet earth. With out water, the earth's high variety of life could have never been created. Ever since history has been recorded, man has constructed society around water as a resource. As technology and science increased; civilizations created new ways to store and manage water, this new knowledge came a the production of dams. Many people have already dammed a small stream using sticks and muddy the time they become adults. Humans have used dams since early civilization, because four-thousand years ago they became aware that floods and droughts affected their well-being and so they began to build dams to protect themselves from these effects. The basic principles of dams still apply today as they did before; a dam must prevent water from being passed. Since then, people have been continuing to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. The hindering effects of dams on humans and their environment seem to outweigh the beneficial ones. As humans and the living organisms remaining today go through time, something is going to have to be done to better balance the effects of dams.
As the dam fills with water, the area of water near the dam begins to fill up with sediment from upstream. What was being hailed as great accomplishments are now showing signs of great consequence. These dams, which are normally shorter than storage dams are used for irrigation developments and for diversion the of water from a stream to a reservoir. ams are classified as either storage, diversion or detention. The heavy rainfall created enough water to overtop the structure and caused extra amounts of spillage in the reservoir. For example many small dams impound water in the spring, for use in the summer dry months. The wells could eventually deplete the water level enough to cause a sink hole with major environmental damage. There is another theory that dams are being broken by earthquakes. If this happened these people must resettle, find a new way of life and face the destruction of a piece of their heritage if this project is approved. What was fresh water is now being converted to salty water because of these reservoirs. We cannot exchange money for the deterioration of our own animals, plants and land. The water standing in the reservoir evaporates when not used and the rest of the water becomes more salty.
Common topics in this essay:
Damming Water,
North American,
Colorado River,
Nicasio Dams,
Columbia River,
River September,
Environmental Geology,
West Marin,
Bay Hydroelectric,
storage dams,
store water,
dams protect,
dam reservoir,
dam built,
begins fill,
supply water,
salmon populations,
effects dams,
|
Acceptance Essays
