Dam

摘要

In recent years dams have attracted enormous attention because of the damage they cause to the natural and cultural landscape. Dam opponents decry the costs associated with large reservoirs, including inundation of fragile riparian ecosystems, disruption of the cyclical character of stream-flow, deprivation of water for downstream wetlands, blockage of fish migration, and displacement of people out of reservoir "take" zones (Three Gorges Dam in China forced the relocation of 1.3 million people). Ofttimes less acknowledged are the benefits provided by dams in terms of municipal water supply, hydroelectric power (Three Gorges has a generating capacity of more than 20,000 megawatts), flood control, navigation, and irrigation. In Dam, Trevor Turpin brings these latter attributes to the forefront as he seeks to explain why dams have been built and how they have assumed a cultural significance transcending their ability to impound water.