The Remediation of Gorge Dam - Research Paper Example

s Remediation Remediation is the process of restoring a system’s initial capability by correcting its faults, shortcomings and deficiencies. Dam remediation mainly concerned with the removal of the pollutants and sediment accumulated over the years for the purpose of protecting the environment, human health and safety and to restore the Dam’s purpose. The Gorge Dam needs remediation for it to generate electricity and eliminate pollution resulting from the accumulation of sediment on the dam bed. After remediation proper treatment will be done to prevent accumulation of sediment, maintain high quality of the water and to ensure economical power generation. Remediation of Gorge Dam will involve; revitalizing its catchment area, that is the river Cuyahoga to ensure constant supply of water to the dam and reduce the flow of sediment. The decision to remediate a dam is based on various ecological, economical and human considerations in terms of impacts and risks associated with it. According to the American White Water organization, the Gorge Dam is roughly 57feet tall (approximately 17.4 meters), with a current average flow rate estimated at approximately 522 cubic feet per second (approximately 14.8 cubic meters per second). Remediation processes in the United States are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and it is executed in stages. The Gorge dam was built in 1912 on the Cuyahoga River between Cuyahoga Falls and Akron Ohio. Vast deposits of metal waste from industries were dumped into the Cuyahoga River between 1912 and 1926, which over time have converted into free flowing sediment. Also from 1926 to 1978, coal combusted products were also laid in the river as waste. The dam was built for the generation of hydroelectric power for the local street car public transportation systems and to provide cooling water storage for a local coal burning power plant. Removing the dam will cost approximately 50 to 70 million dollars and over a year to finish the process depending on how the funds are distributed and consumed. With these figures, it’s better to leave the dam alone since in removing or ignoring the dam doesn’t solve the problem of pollution as the sediment has to be removed even after the dam is removed. Sediment is a naturally occurring material produced by the forces of erosion and weathering and is transported downstream through the water. After removal of the dam, the large amount of polluted sediment on the base of the dam and the river also needs to be taken out to avoid allocating itself downstream. The operation is a major component of the cost consideration and time taken in removing the dam. Ignoring the dam means continued build up of sediment and water quality declination. The solution for the dam is remediation. Currently, the dam has a potential of generating approximately 2526 kilowatts. Considering its situation, this is a good amount of power and this means once the dam is remediated, power generation efficiency will increase. The generated power will be viable for feeding into the national grid. The cost incurred in remediation and upgrading the hydroelectric plant will be recovered in a few years, which is better than spending 50 to70 million dollars in removing the dam and over a year to do so, or incurring an annual expense of 1224 dollars in ignoring the dam to maintain it without any economic benefits. From the calculations in the appendix, Gorges dam can generate up to 2021017 watts of power assuming its efficiency is 80%. Hydroelectric power generation of a typical dam ranges from 70-90 %. When remediated, the fountainhead of the dam will be increased and a higher head implies more potential to generate power. The result is a cheap and readily available power for factories and to the local communities. Cheap and readily available power encourages local investment. Industries will develop which will create employment, and improving the standards of living. Remediating the dam removes the sediment accumulated over the years and the dam’s capacity to generate power is also increased since in ignoring or removing the dam, sediments have to be removed to stop air and water pollution. Remediating the dam also means increased irrigation activities downstream. Statistics indicate that 10% of America’s crop land is irrigated using dam water. Well irrigated farms mean more food at a cheaper price, the presence of the dam storing the water ensures that the availability of food is not seasonal, that is food can be produced even during the dry season. It is also true to say that many Americans lively hood largely depends on irrigation farming through creation of employment and providing food. Remediating the Gorge dam can be seen to have long term health and economic benefits. A well fed nation implies a healthy state. Healthy people have a longer life expectancy. Ignoring the dam on the other hand means that the dam water can only be used for a short while until the sediments and other pollutants take over. Removing the dam means that no irrigation can take place in that area and farming will solely depend on rainfall which of late, thanks to global warming, has been very unreliable. This results under utilization of the food producing capabilities of the country. Removal of the dam also means that the available farm land is prone to destruction during floods. The dam currently serves well to control floods. Destruction of farmland may lead to food shortage among the communities hence malnutrition. Contrary to ignoring or removing the dam, remediating the dam will ensure that a portion of people hold a lively hood from the subsequent famine. A source of income for everybody implies reduction in crime rate and therefore a safe community. Security is key in investment; this will attract both local and foreign investments Necessary safety precautions when taken the dam may be utilized as a major recreational facility in the country. The dam can be used for Recreational activities like fishing, boating, skiing, swimming and picnics can be acted on and around the dam. Recreation is a major factor in stress reduction. Recreational facilities also provide long time employment to the locals. It also acts as a source of revenue to the local government through licensing of certain activities, maintenance fees and tourism. For example, according to the American Whitewater Organization, Metro Parks Serving Summit County issues a single permit for each group of six peddlers that are using the river which is valid for one year. A well remediated dam can provide beautiful sites suitable for sightseeing act as a tourist attraction providing further increasing income to the community at large. Gorges Dam when remediated will further serve the important function of flood control. Floods are known to cause serious effects such loss of life and property and suffering among the people. Floods also cause widespread soil erosion. Soil erosion results in removal of the humus full top soil suitable for agriculture. Removing the dam implies that in case of a flood the flood water will flow freely to the homes causing unnecessary havoc and suffering to the people. Removal of the dam also increases the erosive power of the river along which it was built upon. This has the effect of carrying away the nutritious top soil and that is used for farming rendering the soil left behind barren. Ignoring the dam on the other hand reduces the capacity of the dam to control the flood water. Sediment, litter and other pollutants continue to accumulate in the dam and within time reduce the capacity of the dam to hold water. Gorges dam when remediated, will be able to collect most if not all of the flood water and release it controllably to the river downstream without the destruction of life and property. Controlled flood goes a long way to protect life and property and thus peace of mind. The Gorges dam when remediated will act as water storage during periods of abundant water supply to be used in the future when the water is scarce in municipalities for domestic purposes, industries and farms. Removal of the dam means no water stored to be utilized during the dry seasons as the water flows straight into the sea without benefiting the communities living along the river. Lack of water supplied to industries even in the shortest time may result in the collapse of local industries and plants and in this case the coal plants. No water provided to municipalities will eventually lead to adverse health effects that are brought about by poor hygiene. Ignoring the dam will make the water stored not useable due to contamination of sediments, pollutants and litters. In the long run water stored in the ignored dam will start emitting foul smell making the water unusable. If the water stored in the dam cannot be used for any domestic or commercial purposes makes the dam a big problem as it wastes space and should be removed. Removal though has its equal share of troubles Controlled flow of the water from the dam downstream goes a long way to reduce the harmful substances dissolved by the river and regulation of the disposal of waste from the industries and homes depositing their wastes into the Cuyahoga River. This helps to maintain the levels of harmful substance within safe limits for consumption both domestically and industrially ensuring cleaner water downstream. If we remove the dam, sediment will flow downstream to spread the contamination. This means increased pollution downstream as the accumulated sediments will be released to flow downstream. A polluted environment downstream has adverse health implications for the communities living downstream. The utilization of such water can lead to skin infections and other chronic diseases brought about by contaminated water. Aside from the human population, the animals and plants found downstream will also suffer a great deal. An ignored dam on the other hand, due to poor maintenance and collection of pollutants, implies that with time the harmful chemicals will be coming from the dam itself. Its effect is similar to letting the pollutants flow directly into the ocean. The presence highly contaminated water in the dam poses a greater health and safety hazard that may be impossible to figure out when the problem gets out of hand. The contaminated water is a breeding ground for disease carrying parasite making the areas inhabitable due to disease infestation. The many benefits of remedial surpass the cost of remediation. The benefits though cannot be put in terms of dollars, have enormous economic, ecological and societal advantages that cannot be quantified in terms of money. The benefits that can be reaped from a remediated dam are many and will be enjoyed for the longest time possible at no extra cost. The major financial implications and the futile effects of removing the dam make it a no option. Unless there is another more important role of the land encompassed by the dam, removing the dam has no point. It may be argued that due to the old age of the dam it may pose a great danger to the surrounding communities it in case of collapse due to the weakening structure and the best solution is to remove, the cost of removal 70 million dollars is far much more than the cost of remedial. Remedial involve reinforcement of the concrete and covering of the porous spots and the dam is once again good to go and the benefits of a new dam can be drawn from it. Ignoring the dam on the other hand has serious ecological implications with no financial benefits whatsoever. In fact ignoring the dam will cause wide spread pollution that may eventually lead to displacement of people due to the unbearable foul smell and lack and sufficient provision of clean water for both domestic use. This may have serious social unrest, loss of lively hoods, loss of life and the destruction of the flora and fauna. The process of the dam remediation is simple though with major financial implication it is worth it. First all the algae, hyacinth, unwanted fish, litter trap and trapped sediments should be taken away. This is to fix the initial head of the dam. Given that the electricity generation capacity of the dam is directly proportional head. A larger head also means that more water can be stored during the rainy season for a constant power generation even during the dry season and for use in irrigation. The water catchment of the dam, that is the Cuyahoga River, should be restored and proper treatment methods put in place to prevent accumulation of sediment. This is to insure that the dam has a constant supply of fresh water. This improves the power generating capabilities and making the water stored consumable both domestically and commercially. This is done by creating awareness among the communities and industries living and operating around the catchment areas of better water utilization and pollution. Trees can also be planted around the dam to help in aeration of the dam. Water use upstream should be regulated and restrained by the relevant authorities. This can be managed through licensing only lawful water use and providing regulations on the disposal of waste from the surrounding factories. This said and done, the amount of water flowing into the dam is expected to increase drastically improving the electricity generating capacity and the amount of water stored for irrigation, industries and homes in the long run to be used during the dry seasons. Lastly, the dollar investment in remediation is much more viable than removing the dam or ignoring it. By removing or ignoring the dam, we are losing since the water needs to be aerated both at the surface and underwater to deal with the poor quality of water. Sediment has to be withdrawn after the dam is removed to prevent its flow downstream and air pollution. Works cited "Cuyahoga - D. Ohio Edison Dam to Cascade Valley MetroPark." American Whitewater. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/1467. Read More