7 Responses

1. Yup, dams ruin the river habitat for many fish and animals. Salmon can’t get back upstream to spawn, and natural flow of sediment and water is impeded. Also, dams deprive a water supply to communities and areas downstream.

2. when planned properly no impact. not even on salmon. it’s quite easy to get salmon up river using scale pass or even truck. many rivers in quebec still have salmon in it and are dammed.

3. Yes — it disrupts things in the long haul
   See other answers. .

4. YES, it sucks because it often causes flooding in the area destroying LOTS of habitats… AND probably the worst is it release mercury which goes into the fish (im not exatcly sure how the mercury reaches the fish, you will have to research that)… Fish is a main food source for the northerners and these northerners have been found with high levels of mercury in there blood, which can be dangerous…. My dad works for manitoba hydro…

5. another point to make is in the area of habitat which is destroyed the plants and vegetation will die they then get decomposed by anaerobic bacteria under water releasing methane however this effect dies down after a while (once the orriginal plants have been decayed fully)

   the biggest effect though is habbitat loss and the effects of construction (that concrete has to come from somewhere)

6. Any dam is going to cause problems. Some dams are best managed to retain water, some to release it. Some are managed to maintain a stable water level behind them, some to allow it to fluctuate.

   Look at a dam from the standpoint of a fisherman, canoeist, fishery manager (do you really want to truck fish past a dam every year?), flood control engineer, lakeshore or streamside home-owner . . . .
   Every person will have different interests. Now add in the effect of the buildup of silt behind the dam. Any dam, hydroelectric, flood control, or even beaver, is going to have an effect on the environment. Whether the effect is good or bad depends on your point of view.

7. I have heard of WATER LADDERS here in the UK.A kind of manmade inclined water shoot that is gravity fed with water so fish can find and use to replicate the uphill path of their migration and return. We have it in the UK in our attempt to help nature when we have to build across their path. This is for trout mainly but it can be used for salmon if the dam company wants to build a more eco freindly link with the locals. Would be great for kids to see too. PS dont think the bears would go for it though.