This down-sizing is a direct result of a lack of suitable sites to build a large dam and the ever-increasing environmental and economic concerns (please refer to "Economically Speaking" or "That Little Thing Called the Environment" for more information).
             Hoover Dam (Bureau of Water Reclamation, 1999)
             Hydroelectric systems are defined both by their size and by the way in which they capitalize on the water's motion. If a plant is capable of generating 30 megawatts of electricity, then it is considered a "large" project, whereas any system that produces below that amount is considered "small" (Carless, Jennifer 1993).
             Most hydropower systems facilitate the use of a dam or similar structure to trap and hold water hostage until it can be released through a turbine (Carless, Jennifer 1993). A second, less commonly used method is to install turbines in pipes and place them in the middle of a river's flow, therefore eliminating the need to build a dam and stop up the river. "Most small
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