Dams can have major environmental impacts.
Dams, such as the Hoover Dam in Nevada, are common sources of hydroelectricity. However, the use of these dams can have devastating consequences on the surrounding environment. Around the world, more than 40,000 dams alter the natural flow of major rivers, and in the process jeopardize surrounding ecosystems and populations of plants and animals.
Soil Erosion
In the process of altering the natural flow of a river, a dam also alters the amount and flow of sediments in the river. Holding back these sediments prevents them from reaching the riverbed downstream. In a process that barely compensates for the lack of sediments downstream, the water that does exist often erodes the channel through which it flows, damaging the surrounding ecosystem in the process. Additionally, many plants and animals are dependent on the annual flooding that dam construction prevents. Flooding not only helps plants and animals with natural processes including reproduction and hatching, but also distributes valuable nutrients and resources to the ecosystem. The installation of dams makes these processes impossible and subsequently devastates the surrounding environment.
Species Extinction
When people build dams along a river, the natural flow of the river is either completely blocked or moderated by the dam. However, many dams do not include the proper bypasses to allow fish and other animals to get through. As a result, fish are separated from their natural breeding grounds and cannot reproduce normally. The inability to reproduce normally increases the chance that fish species native to the area will die out. Additionally, as fish attempt to swim along with the natural flow of the river, they become trapped inside the dam and are unable to break free. Subsequently, dams not only control the flow of water along a river but also take the lives of native fish populations.
Disease
In addition to blocking the flow of water, many dams also moderate the flow by slowly releasing it from one side of the dam into the other. However, water that is regulated by dams is commonly very slow moving. The abundance of slow-moving or sitting water, especially in tropical areas, creates a breeding ground for insects such as flies and mosquitoes. These insects often harbor serious or life-threatening diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and river blindness. Thus, the continued use of dams increases the spread of such diseases and subsequently endangers the health of surrounding populations.
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