The creation of dams was once considered an ideal way to utilize nature’s power as an effective source of power. Unfortunately, the passage of time has resulted in the realization that dams have a number of harmful effects upon the environment, while providing little of the expected economic benefit. Thus, the continued existence of a number of dams has recently become the issue of public debate and a trend towards the removal of dams has begun.
The removal of dams, however, is no easy task. From an economic standpoint, the loss of electricity can be highly expensive. For example, the removal of the Snake River dams in Richland, Oregon, would result in a loss of almost $200 million a year. In addition, the elimination of dams would eliminate the ability of many manufacturers to save money by transporting cargo by ship instead of by railroads. A more important perspective, however, is the environmental one. The removal of a dam would result in a rapid change in waterlevels. The Edwards dam created an immense reservoir of more than 1,000 acres and its removal would result in a massive drop in water levels. In addition, the silt that accumulated as a result of the dam could possibly contaminate areas downstream of the Kennebec River. Though the silt gathered at the Edwards dam was shown to be non-toxic, the possibility that silt gathered at other dams could be toxic exemplifies the possible difficulties that could be associated with the removal of dams. Finally, the removal of a dam forces dams upstream to find an effective way of dealing with the increased traffic of fish. In the case of the removal of the Edwards dam, the Kennebec Hydro Developers Group that represents owners of the dams upstream of Augusta and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are working together to raise funds to deal with the need for more effective fish ladders.
Dams were created with the idea of providing cheap, environmentally-friendly
energy to manufacturing industries near major rivers. The passage
of time has shown that dams are neither economically profitable nor environmentally
friendly and must be considered for removal. The removal of major
dams, however, is not an easy task and such issues as water levels, possible
toxic pollution, and fish ladders must be addressed.