We’ve come a long way from the first water-powered mills that were located along rushing streams; today’s hydroelectric plants have been carved out of landscapes that are dramatically changed as a result.
Damming a river and creating a reservoir results in the loss of land and habitats upstream of the dam, and changes the dynamics of the entire river system. Dams and reservoirs have a finite lifespan, on the order of 20 -200 years, and maintaining them can be costly.
But dams bring life to the desert and reservoirs provide recreational opportunities not otherwise possible in arid regions. As with all decisions regarding potential energy sources, there are trade-offs and consequences.
Photo credit: View of Hoover Dam, http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/changes/natural/codrought/
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