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How will they control yearly flooding along this river?

adql 4y ago
By increasing insurance rates
Cthulhu_ 4y ago
Do they need to? Was that an issue before the dam was built? Anyway the usual thing to do is to build dams on the sides, deepen the river, have flood plains, etc.
- AdamN 4y ago
  The best option is to make the flood plains unbuilt and let them flood.
- frosted-flakes 4y ago
  Dams aren't necessary, but yes, it probably was a problem before the dam was built. That's usually why dams are built. But I think it's better to just not build there.
mint2 4y ago
That flooding is actually highly beneficial to the ecosystems While I don’t see a way it’s going to reduce future flood intensity like regular low intensity fires do, but like regular fire it’s needed for a lot of the ecosystem balance to function as it used to
- steve_adams_86 4y ago
  I highly recommend people read about floods and wetlands, and how we’ve tended to destroy wetlands in order to build things like highways and buildings. It’s incredible how much damage wetlands mitigate, and just as critically, how much water they stop and put back into the water table. We do want floods, and we want wetlands to absorb them. Where that isn’t possible, engineering ways to absorb the water in small scale and environmentally friendly ways do exist, too.
- perrygeo 4y ago
  Yes! The flood dynamics are what create viable salmon habitat. The dams are a double-whammy for salmon - salmon can't access habitat above them, plus dams alter the natural flood regime and destroy habitat below them.
mjhay 4y ago
I'm guessing they have thought about this and other contingencies. Just because somebody isn't a programmer doesn't mean they're a moron.
gopher_space 4y ago
One of the concerns with these older, smaller dams is that they’ll collapse eventually and catastrophically. They need to be removed because they’re old, they won’t be replaced because there are cheaper alternatives today.

adql 4y ago

By increasing insurance rates

Do they need to? Was that an issue before the dam was built? Anyway the usual thing to do is to build dams on the sides, deepen the river, have flood plains, etc.

AdamN 4y ago
The best option is to make the flood plains unbuilt and let them flood.
frosted-flakes 4y ago
Dams aren't necessary, but yes, it probably was a problem before the dam was built. That's usually why dams are built. But I think it's better to just not build there.

mint2 4y ago

That flooding is actually highly beneficial to the ecosystems While I don’t see a way it’s going to reduce future flood intensity like regular low intensity fires do, but like regular fire it’s needed for a lot of the ecosystem balance to function as it used to

steve_adams_86 4y ago
I highly recommend people read about floods and wetlands, and how we’ve tended to destroy wetlands in order to build things like highways and buildings. It’s incredible how much damage wetlands mitigate, and just as critically, how much water they stop and put back into the water table. We do want floods, and we want wetlands to absorb them. Where that isn’t possible, engineering ways to absorb the water in small scale and environmentally friendly ways do exist, too.
perrygeo 4y ago
Yes! The flood dynamics are what create viable salmon habitat. The dams are a double-whammy for salmon - salmon can't access habitat above them, plus dams alter the natural flood regime and destroy habitat below them.

mjhay 4y ago

I'm guessing they have thought about this and other contingencies. Just because somebody isn't a programmer doesn't mean they're a moron.

gopher_space 4y ago

One of the concerns with these older, smaller dams is that they’ll collapse eventually and catastrophically. They need to be removed because they’re old, they won’t be replaced because there are cheaper alternatives today.