A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
-Removed dam as an experiment
-Caused increase in water level
-Trying to recover the ecosystem that was destroyed
-Decommissioning dams is becoming a regular occurrence as structures age, provide an inconsequential share of a region's power, become unsafe or too costly to repair, or as communities decide they want their rivers wild and full of fish again.
-Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will flourish once more.
-800,000 dams worldwide, 45,000 are large
-Benefits- hydroelectric power makes up of 20% of all electric supply and energy is clean and renewable.
-Dams control flooding and provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation.
-Dams displace people and have been controversial in developing the world.
-Structures ruin vistas, trap sediments, stymie migratory fish and destroy ecosystems in and around the waterways
-Conservationists have a long history of opposing dams
-Downsides of dams have become more widely recognized
-Rate of dam removal has exceeded the rate of construction for the past decade or so.
-In previous two years alone, 80 dams have fallen and researchers following the trend expect that dams will continue to come down.
-Successes have driven much of the activity of destroying dams
-Water clarity and oxygen levels increase as flows come back and aquatic insects thrive again.
-As water moves more freely, temperature falls and cold-loving fish return.
-People, in addition to flora and fauna return to enjoy the rivers.
-Biologists have observed these benefits from Wisconsin to South Wales in Australia.
-Dams blocked invasive species from moving upriver and into zones above the dam
-Dam removal can pose dangers for people living nearby in places where flood control is crucial
-Sediments stuck behind dams are proving crucial variables when dams are taken down.
-Biggest issue is how to contend with what can be a massive accumulation of dirt and debris.
-If sediments contain high level of pollutants, cost of removing them has to be weighed against the ability of the waterway to wash them away.
-If sediment load is very high and the river's flushing capacity low, engineers might opt to remove the dam in stages, allowing small amounts of sediment to be released at a time.
-Managers and scientists are using all available information about dam removal to make decisions.
-Gaps in our knowledge about ecosystems remain and those working on decommissioning dams recognize they are conducting long term experiments that may have unanticipated results.
-Engineers who were once dedicated to building dams now work on decommissioning them.
-U.S Government agencies are studying how to provide the benefits of the structures without their injourious efforts.
-Scientists must continue to learn about how to remove dams so natural ecosystems and human communities can thrive.
-Preservation of the dam can become part of the restoration plan
B: Summarize the AUTHOR’s main point or idea- at LEAST 1-2 paragraphs
In this article the author talks about the pros and cons of dams and there impact on ecosystems. In the case of Fossil Creek they removed the dam that was there to see what would happen. Trickles became waterfalls and stagnant shallows became deep turquoise pools. After this happening it was realized that maybe even the ecosystem could be restored. It has become common to tear down dams and because of this many example have been shown of ecosystems being restored. Although dams supply power is restoring the ecosystem have a bigger impact on us then keeping the dam and having it provide electricity. When a dam is put in place the now static water often heats up and the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases. When dams are removed temperature goes down and dissolved oxygen goes up. The release of sediment is a con, since this can cause damage to the ecosystem such as clogging water ways or killing important fish or animals in the ecosystem. Some people believe it would be better to keep the dams and others believe its better to take them down.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
After reading this article I think that it would be better to take the dams down. Although we need to find a safer more efficient way to take them down so sediment doesn't have a negative effect on the ecosystem it would be more to our benefit and the ecosystems benefit that we didn't put dams in place. We need to find ways of harnessing power from nature that doesn't cause the ecosystem to damaged like in the case of Fossil Creek. Fossil Creek shows that removing a dam can have positive effects. All we need to do is educate the public and see what they think as a community. We can get rid of dams and find a cleaner way to remove them so the benefits are on both sides and its a win win.
So What?
Dams have many negative effects on rivers such as causing reduced dissolved oxygen levels.
Says Who?
Jane C. Marks
What if...?
What if we never used dams? What would be different?
What does this remind me of?
It reminds me of fracking since if we stopped using it, it would benefit us and the ecosystem.
-Removed dam as an experiment
-Caused increase in water level
-Trying to recover the ecosystem that was destroyed
-Decommissioning dams is becoming a regular occurrence as structures age, provide an inconsequential share of a region's power, become unsafe or too costly to repair, or as communities decide they want their rivers wild and full of fish again.
-Removing a dam does not automatically mean a long-altered ecosystem will flourish once more.
-800,000 dams worldwide, 45,000 are large
-Benefits- hydroelectric power makes up of 20% of all electric supply and energy is clean and renewable.
-Dams control flooding and provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation.
-Dams displace people and have been controversial in developing the world.
-Structures ruin vistas, trap sediments, stymie migratory fish and destroy ecosystems in and around the waterways
-Conservationists have a long history of opposing dams
-Downsides of dams have become more widely recognized
-Rate of dam removal has exceeded the rate of construction for the past decade or so.
-In previous two years alone, 80 dams have fallen and researchers following the trend expect that dams will continue to come down.
-Successes have driven much of the activity of destroying dams
-Water clarity and oxygen levels increase as flows come back and aquatic insects thrive again.
-As water moves more freely, temperature falls and cold-loving fish return.
-People, in addition to flora and fauna return to enjoy the rivers.
-Biologists have observed these benefits from Wisconsin to South Wales in Australia.
-Dams blocked invasive species from moving upriver and into zones above the dam
-Dam removal can pose dangers for people living nearby in places where flood control is crucial
-Sediments stuck behind dams are proving crucial variables when dams are taken down.
-Biggest issue is how to contend with what can be a massive accumulation of dirt and debris.
-If sediments contain high level of pollutants, cost of removing them has to be weighed against the ability of the waterway to wash them away.
-If sediment load is very high and the river's flushing capacity low, engineers might opt to remove the dam in stages, allowing small amounts of sediment to be released at a time.
-Managers and scientists are using all available information about dam removal to make decisions.
-Gaps in our knowledge about ecosystems remain and those working on decommissioning dams recognize they are conducting long term experiments that may have unanticipated results.
-Engineers who were once dedicated to building dams now work on decommissioning them.
-U.S Government agencies are studying how to provide the benefits of the structures without their injourious efforts.
-Scientists must continue to learn about how to remove dams so natural ecosystems and human communities can thrive.
-Preservation of the dam can become part of the restoration plan
B: Summarize the AUTHOR’s main point or idea- at LEAST 1-2 paragraphs
In this article the author talks about the pros and cons of dams and there impact on ecosystems. In the case of Fossil Creek they removed the dam that was there to see what would happen. Trickles became waterfalls and stagnant shallows became deep turquoise pools. After this happening it was realized that maybe even the ecosystem could be restored. It has become common to tear down dams and because of this many example have been shown of ecosystems being restored. Although dams supply power is restoring the ecosystem have a bigger impact on us then keeping the dam and having it provide electricity. When a dam is put in place the now static water often heats up and the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases. When dams are removed temperature goes down and dissolved oxygen goes up. The release of sediment is a con, since this can cause damage to the ecosystem such as clogging water ways or killing important fish or animals in the ecosystem. Some people believe it would be better to keep the dams and others believe its better to take them down.
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic, using specific citations from the article to support your views
After reading this article I think that it would be better to take the dams down. Although we need to find a safer more efficient way to take them down so sediment doesn't have a negative effect on the ecosystem it would be more to our benefit and the ecosystems benefit that we didn't put dams in place. We need to find ways of harnessing power from nature that doesn't cause the ecosystem to damaged like in the case of Fossil Creek. Fossil Creek shows that removing a dam can have positive effects. All we need to do is educate the public and see what they think as a community. We can get rid of dams and find a cleaner way to remove them so the benefits are on both sides and its a win win.
So What?
Dams have many negative effects on rivers such as causing reduced dissolved oxygen levels.
Says Who?
Jane C. Marks
What if...?
What if we never used dams? What would be different?
What does this remind me of?
It reminds me of fracking since if we stopped using it, it would benefit us and the ecosystem.