Super Universe
Defender of God
I consider myself to be an environmentalist but organizations like the Pacific Institute are manipulating the information and succeeding in convincing people that their extreme views are correct. The extremists think that humans should have a very small to no impact on the environment at all. The think that rivers are supposed to over flow their banks. The Pacific Institute says that dams are bad for the environment and they claim that California can achieve it's current and future water needs primarily by conservation and recycling. This is not true.
Some cities get their water from rivers that are always flowing. Three major rivers that run through California; the Sacramento, the American, and the San Joaquin rivers never cease flowing. Even in drought years those rivers provide water to major cities. Those cities are under water restrictions, even now, with one of the wettest years on record, city water managers are voting to continue water use restrictions. This makes no sense. If they don't use the water it just flows into the ocean. "Saving water" is how it truly gets wasted.
If a person uses water inside their home it goes down the drain and ends up at a sewage treatment plant which treats the water and sends it back into the river. So, using water inside your home is using it, not wasting it.
If a person uses water outside their home it goes into the ground and seeps back into the river. Once again, using that water is not wasting it.
There are some communities that get their water directly from water storage, either large water storage tanks or reservoirs. Those communities should conserve water in drought years. The problem is when people think that everything should always be fair so the big cities should save water too even though their water supply comes from rivers that are always flowing.
The Pacific Institute also says that dams are responsible for increased CO2 emissions. Leaves from trees fall into reservoirs created by dams and the leaves decompose and release CO2.
Well leaves decompose on land too and wildfires release massive amounts of CO2. Reservoirs don't catch fire and the water in reservoirs can be used to fight wildland fires.
The Pacific Institute thinks that rivers are supposed to over flow their banks. They think that natural is better than human inferference. If the rivers in California over flow their banks millions of homes will be damaged. With a dam, there is actually more water flowing in the rivers in summer than there would be naturally. Without a dam on a major river during drought years the migratory fish populations would be hard hit.
In California every dam that blocks the salmon and rainbow trout from reaching their normal spawning areas has a fishery.
The Pacific Institute also claims that all the best dam locations in California have already been taken. This might be true but that doesn't mean that there are no more good sites available for a series of smaller dams.
The US Army Corp of Engineers estimates that the dams in California provide 200 year flood protection. The flood of 1862 flooded the entire California central valley. That was 155 years ago so, hopefully there is time. California needs more dams, small dams, built high up in the mountains to provide more flood control and water storage.
Dams produce clean electricity. They help control flooding. The reservoirs provide marine habitat and human recreation. They store water and provide it in summer.
Some cities get their water from rivers that are always flowing. Three major rivers that run through California; the Sacramento, the American, and the San Joaquin rivers never cease flowing. Even in drought years those rivers provide water to major cities. Those cities are under water restrictions, even now, with one of the wettest years on record, city water managers are voting to continue water use restrictions. This makes no sense. If they don't use the water it just flows into the ocean. "Saving water" is how it truly gets wasted.
If a person uses water inside their home it goes down the drain and ends up at a sewage treatment plant which treats the water and sends it back into the river. So, using water inside your home is using it, not wasting it.
If a person uses water outside their home it goes into the ground and seeps back into the river. Once again, using that water is not wasting it.
There are some communities that get their water directly from water storage, either large water storage tanks or reservoirs. Those communities should conserve water in drought years. The problem is when people think that everything should always be fair so the big cities should save water too even though their water supply comes from rivers that are always flowing.
The Pacific Institute also says that dams are responsible for increased CO2 emissions. Leaves from trees fall into reservoirs created by dams and the leaves decompose and release CO2.
Well leaves decompose on land too and wildfires release massive amounts of CO2. Reservoirs don't catch fire and the water in reservoirs can be used to fight wildland fires.
The Pacific Institute thinks that rivers are supposed to over flow their banks. They think that natural is better than human inferference. If the rivers in California over flow their banks millions of homes will be damaged. With a dam, there is actually more water flowing in the rivers in summer than there would be naturally. Without a dam on a major river during drought years the migratory fish populations would be hard hit.
In California every dam that blocks the salmon and rainbow trout from reaching their normal spawning areas has a fishery.
The Pacific Institute also claims that all the best dam locations in California have already been taken. This might be true but that doesn't mean that there are no more good sites available for a series of smaller dams.
The US Army Corp of Engineers estimates that the dams in California provide 200 year flood protection. The flood of 1862 flooded the entire California central valley. That was 155 years ago so, hopefully there is time. California needs more dams, small dams, built high up in the mountains to provide more flood control and water storage.
Dams produce clean electricity. They help control flooding. The reservoirs provide marine habitat and human recreation. They store water and provide it in summer.
