Marco+Sanchez's+Wiki

As with many environmental issues, dams have many different sides to them. With situations like dam removal, there is always going to be the discussion of when to put the needs of the environment above the needs of people. There are those that say that the needs of people should be given priority over 'what's good for the natural world' and consequently, sacrifices are sometimes made. On the other side of the coin, are people who argue that environmental needs force us to make sacrifices of our own. The important thing to note here though, is that there is a middle ground which can benefit both. After realizing that there are positives and negatives to dam removal, the next step is to these out and weigh the most accurately predicted costs and benefits.

__Remove that Dam!__ The huge benefit to removing a dam is restoring the area to a more natural state, thereby improving the ecosystem as a whole. A part of restoring the ecosystem can be seen with the return of native fish that were negatively impacted with the installation of a dam. The removal of a dam in Augusta, Maine is proof of that. Built on the Kennebec River in 1837, the Edwards Dam was put in place to provide power to mills along the riverbank. These mills became the economic base for the town of Augusta. However, in the 1980's the mills closed and in 1989 a massive fire damaged the hydro generation equipment. In 1999 a coalition was able to push for the removal of the dam. Since the removal of the dam, according to the American Rivers organization, migratory fish are returning to the river. Alewives, Striped Bass, American Shad and Atlantic Sturgeon have been documented, where they hadn't been in the past 150 years. A study done by the University of Southern Maine showed that the number of these native species rose from 11 to 26 in a span of only 2 years (Francisco 2004). In response to this, (the American Rivers noted that) boaters and anglers have returned to the area in large numbers. Brett Boundary Waters, from part 1 of the video series, expressed similar expectations when explaining his pro-removal opinion of the dam in his area. It is quite clear that the restoration of the ecosystem has and will continue to lead to economic growth for the town, as well as allowing the fish populations to thrive once again.

media type="youtube" key="uVBzVhukcts" height="344" width="425"

__Don't Remove the Dam!__ Those opposed to dam removal, such as Whine Ona Cry from part 2 of the video series, are concerned about their utility costs going up. The hydro-electric power that the dam supports, provides many citizens with energy. Because the water used to run the plants is provided free by nature and the operations and maintenance costs are relatively low, this provides the users with fairly cheap energy (FWEE 1994). Water is also a renewable resource, which means that the fuel is almost always there and fuel is not burned, so there is minimal pollution output. With an average lifetime of 50 to 100 years, hydroelectric developments are long-term investments that can benefit various generations (NHA USA). Hydroelectric power plant reservoirs also collect rainwater, which can be used for consumption or irrigation (USGS). It makes sense to use dams for hydroelectric power, as a sustainable way to meet the high demands for energy.



__Sources:__ 'Edna Francisco. "TALES OF THE UNDAMMED. " //Science News// 10 Apr. 2004: Education Module, ProQuest. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. americanrivers.org "Advantages of Hydroelectric Power and Usage". USGS. November 28, 2009 . fwee.org hydro.org