Dams (ADVANTAGES) -Reduces consumption of fossil fuels for electricity production -Reduces production of greenhouse gases, such as C02 -Reduces production of pollution, such as particulate matter -Can prevent uncontrolled flooding -Provides water for irrigation -Creates areas for certain types of recreation, such as boating and fishing
What are the benefits of dams?
A well-constructed dam provides several flood-control benefits. Dams help to prevent property loss while reducing the risk to human life from annual flooding events. These structures can impound the floodwaters into the reservoir behind the dam, allowing us to release them under control or to store it for future use.
Why are dams used as a source of water?
Since the water stored in dams is fresh water, it can then be used for drinking water in nearby towns and cities. Some cities get their water from rivers and streams in other states.
What happens when a dam is built behind a reservoir?
Reservoirs behind a dam can lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions. When vegetation gets engulfed in water, then the plants will eventually die. When this outcome occurs, the dead organic material releases methane that ultimately makes its way into the atmosphere.
Why do we need dams on the Nile River?
The Nile River is famous for its unpredictable annual flow throughout history. As climate change continues to progress, the patterns of El Nino and La Nina in the Pacific Ocean will continue to increase. That means we will have more cycles of excessive precipitation and drought, and dams can help us to regulate this issue. 5.
Why are dams important?
Dams and waterways store and provide water for irrigation so farmers can use the water for growing crops. This idea goes way back into history. Irrigation is an important part of using water. In areas where water and rain are not abundant (like the desert), irrigation canals from rivers and dams are used to carry water.
Why do we need dams?
Dams help in preventing floods. They catch extra water so that it doesn’t run wild downstream. Dam operators can let water out through the dam when needed. The first upstream flood control dam was built in 1948, Cloud Creek Dam in Oklahoma.
Why are rivers and streams important?
Rivers and streams provide a great opportunity for transportation. Barges and ships can navigate along a river carrying large loads of food and merchandise. This style of transportation is effective because the loads carried can be quite large.
How is hydroelectric power made?
Hydroelectric power is made when water passes through a dam. The electricity is made by a device called a turbine. These are made of metal coils surrounded by magnets. The magnets spin over the coils to produce electricity. Turbines are found in dams. The water going through a dam spins the magnets. The energy made is clean and pollution free.
Why are dams important?
That means a dam can provide a buffer to an entire region against extreme weather events or irregular precipitation patterns. 3. This technology provides us with critical recreational opportunities. Dams can provide us with a wide range of economic, environmental, and social benefits.
Why do we need dams?
We can produce power from dams because of the kinetic energy of the water movements as it causes turbines to spin. That’s what allows us to generate electricity that is clean and renewable. Once the dam gets entirely constructed, we no longer have a dependence on fossil fuels to be responsible for the energy we need to maintain a modern lifestyle.
How do dams affect water?
Those are resources that many communities could put to better use. 8. Dams can block water progression to different states, provinces, and countries. When a dam gets built at or near a border between two states, provinces, or countries, then it might also block the progress of the water in one of those areas.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of dams?
17 Biggest Advantages and Disadvantages of Dams. We use dams to impede or stop the flow of water along a river. Although this engineering structure gets commonly associated with the production of hydroelectric energy, we also use them for a variety of different purposes. When a river gets dammed, it creates an artificial lake behind it ...
Why do we need dams on rivers?
We can use dams on rivers to provide a stable system of inland water transportation. The navigable waterways of the United States, like those found on the Mississippi River, can be challenging for some boats to use because of varying water levels.
How tall is a dam?
This definition means there are more than 57,000 structures around the world. Major dams are over 150 meters tall, and there are over 300 of these. China has the most, with over 23,000 operational facilities.
What was the first dam?
The first dams that humans created were considered gravity dams. They were made of masonry or concrete that could resist the water load because of their weight. The ancient Egyptians are thought to have built the first one, and it was called Sadd el-Kafara. That name translates to “Dam of the Pagans” in Arabic.
