Dams

The construction of dams for water storage and hydroelectric power generation is one of the archetypical impositions that the Anthropocene has brought to bear on the natural grand Water Cycle.

This wave of dam construction began approximately a century ago and many were transformative projects of huge political as well as functional significance: Hoover Dam, Kariba Dam, Aswan Dam, and the Snowy Mountains and Lesotho Highlands Schemes are awesome engineering accomplishments that have delivered huge economic value.

However, the environmental impact of these dams is increasingly being realized and the need to manage the unique challenges that they present is becoming more pressing.

Managing water quality in the dams themselves as they age becomes a growing challenge, particularly near the dam wall where often years of accumulated sediment build up drive eutrophication.

This exacerbates the downstream impact of water that is discharged from the dam which becomes deoxygenated and nutrient rich.

The “green” credentials of hydroelectric power are increasingly being undermined by these downstream effects.

The scalability of the Eutrophy Solution over depth and surface area is delivering unique solutions to these problems.