Three Gorges Dam, China

The Technology Context – B101 Three Gorges Dam, China

Three Gorges Dam, China

Is a Dam’s effect on its surrounding area worst than those of global warming on the world

The subject of this coursework and thus my further research is the Three Gorges Dam that spans the Yangtze River in China which is the largest hydroelectric river dam in the world. I will be discussing at length if the generation of electricity without the use of a finite resource; harmful radiation or emitting green house gases and thus possibly helping slow down/stopping global warming and whether this outweighs the cons of flooding millions; the destruction of important archaeological and cultural sites; and the environmental issues resulting from the creation of the dam and the reservoir behind it.

This photo shows the scale of the project.

This photo shows the scale of the project.

With the rising global temperatures and their ever decreasing stocks, more and more emphasis is being placed on producing electric power without the burning of fossil fuels. These methods are broadly described as renewable energy sources and examples include wind turbines, wave power and hydroelectric power. Of the renewable sources, hydroelectric power is the most common accounting for 63% of power produced from these sources.

While hydroelectric power doesn’t have the draw backs of fossils fuels, to get create a body of water large enough to create a substantial amount of power a large artificial dam must be created. This often includes the flooding of vast area, which is typically one or more valleys, and more often than not having to displace whole communities that may have lived there for hundreds if not thousands of years. It also includes the destruction of many natural habitats in the area and the disruption of many others. There are also serious consequences if the dam were to fail, the release of a large body of water as such as one the size of the reservoir's in a single go would wash away entire cities downstream and potentially killing millions.

This photo shows the level of the river in 1987 and the level of the river in 2006. Note that in the 2006 picture the reservoir still has some way to go til it has reach it's final capacity.

This photo shows the level of the river in 1987 and the level of the river in 2006. Note that in the 2006 picture the reservoir still has some way to go til it has reach it's final capacity.

I find the issues faced by the Three Gorges Dam interesting because of the scale of the project and all the minute details that have to go into its design for it to be a success. One such thing is the computer networking of the site which may seem like a small task but if it isn’t done correctly will make the whole project a failure and may have catastrophic consequences. For instance if the computer that controls the water intake valve were to fail it could result in the release of thousands of gallons of water which could flood the cities downstream of the site and maybe even damage the dam itself. I find this part of the project particularly interesting because I hope to pursue a career in computer networking.

I will investigate the affects of that the dam has on the environment by using multiple secondary sources.

I shall look at case studies of previous large dams such as:

The Itaipu Dam in South America where volunteers from around the world helped save thousands of animals from drowning when the reservoir was created.
The Marmot Dam in North America that was recently decommissioned because of its impact on fish migration.
I will also look at case studies about the Three Gorges Dam that have already catalogued its effect on the surrounding area.

I shall also look at research papers that have focused on the environmental impact of other dams, such as:

The Glen Canyon Dam in North America that has been linked to the erosion of sand bars in the Grand Canyon.
The Aswan Dam in Egypt which because of silt deposited in the reservoir behind the dam now has a decreased water storage capacity and has because of the deposition has affected the fertility of farmland downstream from the site.

I will also look at research papers that have look at the effect the Three Gorges Dam has had on the local population and their heritage.
I will also look at local news reports that have reported the effects of the dam as they have happened.

I will also see if there have been any computer simulations of the dam’s impact and what conclusions have been drawn from them.

I will also look what fail safes have been implemented in the design of the river to prevent any dam failures.