What are Dams Used for
What are Dams Used for
There
are many dams in this civilized world. Although the main function of these dams
is to hold water back, they often provide additional useful facilities. Major
dam uses are discussed below.
1.
Water Supply
o
Water stored in reservoirs of the
dam is used to provide adequate amounts of quality freshwater to residential,
industrial facilities and mining sites.
o
Dams can be used to regulate the
flow of water in rivers. This is to say that water can be released from the
reservoir to support wildlife and ecosystems downstream during a drought, and
water can be released for agricultural uses during the same drought.
o
Example: Warragamba, a water supply dam of Australia,
supplies water to more than 3.7 million people living in Sydney and the lower
Blue Mountains.
2.
Irrigation
o
In many countries, cropland irrigation is
done using water stored behind dams.
o
Example: Burrinjuck Dam, an irrigation dam of
Australia, which was built as the main headwater storage for the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation Area in New South Wales.
3.
Electrical Generation
o
To generate electricity in
hydroelectric power stations
o
Hydropower is considered clean
because it does not contribute to global warming, air pollution, acid rain, or
ozone depletion.
o
The United States is one of the
largest producers of hydropower in the world, second only to Canada. Dams
produce over 103,800 megawatts of renewable electricity and meet 8 to 12
percent of the Nation's power needs.
o
Example: Itaipu Dam,
a hydropower dam in Brazil, is the largest hydro-electric power station in the
world.
4.
Flood Control
o
For centuries, people have built
dams to help control devastating floods. It helps to prevent the loss of life
and property. Flood control dams impound floodwaters and then either release
them under control to the river below the dam or store or divert the water for
other uses.
o
Example: The Tennessee
Valley Authority dams in the U.S.A., help to control floods on
the Tennessee, the lower Ohio, and the lower Mississippi Rivers.
5.
Water Storage
o
Dams create reservoirs that supply
water for uses, including industrial, municipal, and agricultural.
o
Water captured during the wet season
can be stored for use during the dry season.
o
Example: Corin Dam is
a Water Storage dam of Australia which has a capacity of 19.9×109 gal.
6.
Mine Tailings
o
It allows the mining and processing
of coal and other vital minerals while protecting the environment.
o
There are more than 1,300 mine
tailings impoundments in the United States.
o
Mount Polley is a mine tailing dump
of British Columbia, Canada.
7.
Debris Control
o
Dams provide enhanced environmental
protection, such as the retention of hazardous materials and detrimental
sedimentation.
8.
Navigation
o
Dams and locks provide for a stable
system of inland river transportation throughout the heartland of the Nation.
o
Bonneville
Dam of Washington, USA is a river navigation dam.
9.
Recreation
o
Dams provide prime recreational
facilities throughout the United States. Boating, skiing, camping, picnic
areas, and boat launch facilities are all supported by dams.
o
Scrivener Dam is
a recreation dam of Canberra, Australia.
Most
of the dams are multipurpose. Almost all dams have at least some flood
mitigation effect in addition to their primary purpose. Flood control dams may
have some of their storage capacity kept empty to store excess water inflow
under flood conditions.
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