But will dams protect us from the vagaries of climate change?
“The crisis we face is one of water’s distribution: its surplus or deficit relative to our needs at particular times and places.” Chris Wood Dry Spring: the coming water crisis of North America”
Countries have managed to stave off water conflicts in favour of more rational alternatives for the last fifty years. Till now, a variety of methods in water management has successfully created enough sustainability in supply.
In the 21st century dams are the first choice for electrical production and are also a reliable source of water for agriculture, industry during times of water scarcity and to prevent flooding.
China has emerged as the world’s largest constructor of dams, not only in that country but throughout Africa and Indonesia. In our country Quebec is proposing a dam on one of its last free running rivers, the Romaine River. In British Columbia private and public dams for industry are in the throes of controversy.
Governments acknowledge that dams aren’t perfect but they say it is still the cleanest renewable source of energy we have. Dams are meant to be the summer insurance policy against drought.
Climate change considerations are often sited as a major driver in building a dam. Climate change has caused glaciers and winter snow accumulations, which are the sources of the headwaters of many rivers, to be diminished at an alarming rate.
This is true in the Himalayas, Canada, the Alps, and Peru. Montana’s Glacier National Park has lost 67percent of its glaciers in the last hundred years and by 2020 all glaciated areas will be gone. Alberta’s Bow River is in decline.
B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, the driest place in Canada, is driven to stockpile more reservoirs to serve a burgeoning population and agricultural sector. The Southwest United States is becoming a relic of its past grandeur as drought, more diversions from the Colorado River, Las Vegas and desert suburbia take their toll on habitat for wetlands species in the U.S. and Mexico.
Lake Meade and Lake Powell, reservoirs created by dams, are simply disappearing. Since 1999 Lake Meade has dropped by 27 metres.
Large dams that create large reservoirs are viewed with great concern. China’s current president, Hu Jintao has distanced himself from the Three Gorges Dam. So far1.3 people have been displaced with the building of the dam. Several other dams had to be built above the 26 billion dollar Three Gorges in order to stop its silting up, but the landslides and erosion continue and aquatic life is in decline.
Big is not better, California told B.C. when California refused to take any hydro from projects that exceeded 30 megawatts. This included run-of-river water diversions and dams. B.C. was informed that the usual 50 megawatt projects have too large an ecological footprint.
The Western Canada Wilderness Committee in B.C. concurs. The people on the Romaine River in northern Quebec feel the same.
See www.allianceromaine.wordpress.com
“Rain harvesting” and ‘active groundwater recharge” celebrate small. An example of rain harvesting is having a barrel catch the rainwater as it comes off your house. If you live in Albuquerque N.M. you get a rebate for a home cistern. In the Waterloo region of Ontario the Department of Water Services pumps water into an aquifer instead of having a costly reservoir evaporate water.
Humanity needs to be resilient in the face of climate change, population increases and expanding agricultural irrigation needs. Living on the shores of the Great Lakes doesn’t mean we can be complacent either. Ninety-nine percent of its water is a legacy of the last ice age and is non-renewable.
Residents should learn from the fate of the Aral Sea in Russia: unless you value nature and habitat even the largest lakes can disappear.
