The Three Gorges Dam
In China, the Three Gorges dam holds 20,000 megawatts of electricity. China is one of the fastest economies in the world. There are cameras in the dam film the whole dam. 20 million cubic meters of concrete was used to make the dam. Each generator costs 50 million dollars and the dam has 32 of them. The water will raise up to 60 stories above the the base level. The concrete plates open up and the water moves through the tubes to make electricity. The dam hold enough power for 60 million chinese. The second largest dam is in Brazil. Before the dam was build they relocated natives behind the dam. Rock walls were put up when the three gorges dam was being built. The removal of the the 2 km of concrete wall was difficult. They made sure the concrete stayed cool. They set up the dam like structure underneath the dam into the soil. If the water goes straight down it would bad for the dam. The structure decreases the water pressure. The tiers can take up to 4 hours. The engineer made the dam more of an elevator for the ships passing through. Lifting the ship upwards by concrete and wires. The main reason it was built was because of their flooding problem. Dams have negative effects on the environmental like the dam built on the nile river which dried the soil for the crops. If flood water settles it is a problem. The sediment sinks to the bottom and soaks. They installed gates at the bottom of the dam to make the flow of water.
Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant
Ten percent of water is found in brazil. The Piranha river holds four times as much water as the Colorado river. Only ⅛ of the water needed to build the dam was in the Iguazu river. In 1973 Brazil and Paraguay signed treaty for the daml. Most powerful dam in the world. Thousands of people and animals lost their habitats for the dam. The engineers had to make 2km long channel river connected to the Piranha. In 1975 was the year of the build. The valley was chosen because of it sparse population. Environmental consultants went in the Paraguayan forest to help the animals. In 1978 was the time of the explosion for the channel. Diversion rocks were places as the dam was being built. Water flows into the turbines and then the secondary dams were made to make the dam taller. Foz de Iguacu was the biggest city near the dam. They needed to bus more workers from different cities then needed to build more houses, schools, and buildings for the workers. The dam had to weigh 60 million tons. The engineers made the main dam walls hollow to reduce the costs and weight. 129 birds 32 mammals and 9 species of reptile were found in the surrounding area and some of them were relocated. They had to do some extra work due to the crumbling rock. In 1982 they tested the pressure of the concrete with the rise of temperature then they chillied every gram of concrete to 7 degrees. The environmental consultants were trying to save 30,000 animals. A wave could damage the dam. The environmental consultants went to save animals that were drowning. The overflow helped the water on top of the dam not overflow. Energy dissipation helps the spillway. 30,000 animals were found and 300 of them were brought to a wildlife sanctuary. At the edge of the reservoir trees were grown. After the dam was finished the total death count was 145 workers. In 2002 the 13 out of 18 turbines stopped powering a lot of Brazil. After the fix, the dam continued being successful.
Grand Coulee Dam in the US
The Grand Coulee Dam was built when Roosevelt was president. Build on the columbia river. The Army Corp of Engineers proposed a way to build the dam. Roosevelt had to go up against Wall Street. Congress approved the Public Works to spend 3.3 billion dollars. 63 million dollars to build the dam. The dam was build on an indian reservation. They promised electricity at a lower rate. None of the environmental concerns mattered. The Republicans were not a fan of this operation. In 1935 the project could rise to its full height. For every thousand concrete walls men passed away. The death count was 60 men. Since it was the time of the Great Depression jobs were always taken. The people were given short notice of the flood. The digging of the graves were stopped to let the water rise. The indians called their gathering a ceremony of tears. Some people thought the government should give something in return to the indians. At the end the death count was 72.
These dams that were built across the world are a great way of receiving electricity from natural resources. The dams had environmental concerns. The dam causes major flooding in the surrounding areas, the destruction of animal habitats, and the loss of salmon. If the dam is not built correctly, the effects are horrible. However as long as the dams pros outweigh the cons, dams are a huge success.
In China, the Three Gorges dam holds 20,000 megawatts of electricity. China is one of the fastest economies in the world. There are cameras in the dam film the whole dam. 20 million cubic meters of concrete was used to make the dam. Each generator costs 50 million dollars and the dam has 32 of them. The water will raise up to 60 stories above the the base level. The concrete plates open up and the water moves through the tubes to make electricity. The dam hold enough power for 60 million chinese. The second largest dam is in Brazil. Before the dam was build they relocated natives behind the dam. Rock walls were put up when the three gorges dam was being built. The removal of the the 2 km of concrete wall was difficult. They made sure the concrete stayed cool. They set up the dam like structure underneath the dam into the soil. If the water goes straight down it would bad for the dam. The structure decreases the water pressure. The tiers can take up to 4 hours. The engineer made the dam more of an elevator for the ships passing through. Lifting the ship upwards by concrete and wires. The main reason it was built was because of their flooding problem. Dams have negative effects on the environmental like the dam built on the nile river which dried the soil for the crops. If flood water settles it is a problem. The sediment sinks to the bottom and soaks. They installed gates at the bottom of the dam to make the flow of water.
Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant
Ten percent of water is found in brazil. The Piranha river holds four times as much water as the Colorado river. Only ⅛ of the water needed to build the dam was in the Iguazu river. In 1973 Brazil and Paraguay signed treaty for the daml. Most powerful dam in the world. Thousands of people and animals lost their habitats for the dam. The engineers had to make 2km long channel river connected to the Piranha. In 1975 was the year of the build. The valley was chosen because of it sparse population. Environmental consultants went in the Paraguayan forest to help the animals. In 1978 was the time of the explosion for the channel. Diversion rocks were places as the dam was being built. Water flows into the turbines and then the secondary dams were made to make the dam taller. Foz de Iguacu was the biggest city near the dam. They needed to bus more workers from different cities then needed to build more houses, schools, and buildings for the workers. The dam had to weigh 60 million tons. The engineers made the main dam walls hollow to reduce the costs and weight. 129 birds 32 mammals and 9 species of reptile were found in the surrounding area and some of them were relocated. They had to do some extra work due to the crumbling rock. In 1982 they tested the pressure of the concrete with the rise of temperature then they chillied every gram of concrete to 7 degrees. The environmental consultants were trying to save 30,000 animals. A wave could damage the dam. The environmental consultants went to save animals that were drowning. The overflow helped the water on top of the dam not overflow. Energy dissipation helps the spillway. 30,000 animals were found and 300 of them were brought to a wildlife sanctuary. At the edge of the reservoir trees were grown. After the dam was finished the total death count was 145 workers. In 2002 the 13 out of 18 turbines stopped powering a lot of Brazil. After the fix, the dam continued being successful.
Grand Coulee Dam in the US
The Grand Coulee Dam was built when Roosevelt was president. Build on the columbia river. The Army Corp of Engineers proposed a way to build the dam. Roosevelt had to go up against Wall Street. Congress approved the Public Works to spend 3.3 billion dollars. 63 million dollars to build the dam. The dam was build on an indian reservation. They promised electricity at a lower rate. None of the environmental concerns mattered. The Republicans were not a fan of this operation. In 1935 the project could rise to its full height. For every thousand concrete walls men passed away. The death count was 60 men. Since it was the time of the Great Depression jobs were always taken. The people were given short notice of the flood. The digging of the graves were stopped to let the water rise. The indians called their gathering a ceremony of tears. Some people thought the government should give something in return to the indians. At the end the death count was 72.
These dams that were built across the world are a great way of receiving electricity from natural resources. The dams had environmental concerns. The dam causes major flooding in the surrounding areas, the destruction of animal habitats, and the loss of salmon. If the dam is not built correctly, the effects are horrible. However as long as the dams pros outweigh the cons, dams are a huge success.