Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Global Review of Large Dam Construction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Large Dam Dilemma

Abstract

Large dams have been used as a means of development for a long time, but they also have caused various environmental and social problems at different scales. This chapter provides a global perspective on large dams, including the history and distribution of large dams in the world, the multiple functions of large dams, and arguments from both sides of the on-going debate over their construction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Atkinson E (1996) The feasibility of flushing sediment from reservoirs

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer F, Burz J (1981) Dar Einfluss der Festoffuhrung alpiner Gewasser auf die Stauraumverlandung und Flussbetteintiefung. Wasserwirttschaftliche Mitteilungen 4:114–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Bawa KS, Koh LP, Lee TM, Liu J, Ramakrishnan PS, Yu DW, Zhang Y-P, Raven PH (2010) China, India, and the environment. Science 327:1457–1459

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beauchamp VB, Stromberg JC, Stutz JC (2007) Flow regulation has minimal influence on mycorrhizal fungi of a semi-arid floodplain ecosystem despite changes in hydrology, soils, and vegetation. J Arid Environ 68:188–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bednarek AT (2001) Undamming rivers: a review of the ecological impacts of dam removal. Environ Manage 27:803–814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergkamp G, McCartney M, Dugan P, McNeely J, Acreman M (2000) Dams, ecosystem functions and environmental restoration. Thematic review II. 1 Prepared as an input to the World Commission on Dams, Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

  • Buttling S, Shaw T (1973) Predicting the rate and pattern of storage loss in reservoirs. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress on Large Dams, Madrid, Spain. International Commission on Large Dams, Paris, vol 1, pp 565–580

    Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee P (1997) Dam busting. New Scientist 154:34–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Childs-Johnson E, Sullivan LR (1996) The Three Gorges Dam and the fate of China’s southern heritage. Orientations 27:55–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi SU, Yoon B, Woo H (2005) Effects of dam-induced flow regime change on downstream river morphology and vegetation cover in the Hwang River, Korea. River Res Appl 21:315–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delvalls TÁ, Forja J, González-Mazo E, Gómez-Parra A, Blasco J (1998) Determining contamination sources in marine sediments using multivariate analysis. Trends Anal Chem 17:181–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Environmental Agency (2010) Reservoirs and dams. http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/european-waters/reservoirs-and-dams

  • Fearnside PM (1997) Greenhouse-gas emissions from Amazonian hydroelectric reservoirs: the example of Brazil’s Tucuruí Dam as compared to fossil fuel alternatives. Environ Cons 24:64–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, He Y (2003) The effect on the emigration’s income and reservoir area ecology in caused by farmland change in reservoir area of Manwan Hydropower Station. Territory & Natural Resources Study

    Google Scholar 

  • Furness HD (1978) Ecological studies on the Pongola River floodplain. Working Document IV, Workshop on man and the Pongolo floodplain. C.I.S.R., Pietermaritzburg, No. 14/106/7C

    Google Scholar 

  • Galay V (1983) Causes of river bed degradation. Water Resour Res 19:1057–1090

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Government of Beijing (1981) Beijing Government Document [1981] No. 124. http://210.73.64.113/Govfile/front/content/11981124_0.html

  • Hart BT, Bailey P, Edwards R, Hortle K, James K, McMahon A, Meredith C, Swadling K (1991) A review of the salt sensitivity of the Australian freshwater biota. Hydrobiologia 210:105–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassan F (2007) The Aswan High Dam and the International Rescue Nubia Campaign. Afr Archaeol Rev 24:73–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu W-W, Wang G-X, Deng W, Li S-N (2008) The influence of dams on ecohydrological conditions in the Huaihe River basin, China. Ecol Eng 33:233–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson PBN, Davies BR (1976) Cabora River in its first year: some ecological aspects and comparisons. Rhodesian Sci News 10:128–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson S, Sleigh A (2000) Resettlement for China’s Three Gorges Dam: socio-economic impact and institutional tensions. Comm Post-Commun Stud 33:223–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joffe S, Cooke S (1997) Management of water hyacinth and other invasive aquatic weeds. Issues for the World Bank. Washington, DC. World Bank internal report

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidd P, Dominguez-Rodriguez M, Diez J, Monterroso C (2007) Bioavailability and plant accumulation of heavy metals and phosphorus in agricultural soils amended by long-term application of sewage sludge. Chemosphere 66:1458–1467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lajoie F, Assani AA, Roy AG, Mesfioui M (2007) Impacts of dams on monthly flow characteristics. The influence of watershed size and seasons. J Hydrol 334:423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ligon FK, Dietrich WE, Trush WJ (1995) Downstream ecological effects of dams. BioScience 45:183–192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Diamond J (2005) China’s environment in a globalizing world. Nature 435:1179–1186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Longman J (2008) Dams are rejected in America as too destructive. Yet they are still promoted in Latin America. Why? Newsweek. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/09/12/generating-conflict.html

  • Loska K, Wiechuła D (2003) Application of principal component analysis for the estimation of source of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from the Rybnik Reservoir. Chemosphere 51:723–733

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • St. Louis VL, Kelly CA, Duchemin É, Rudd JW, Rosenberg DM (2000) Reservoir surfaces as sources of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere: a global estimate. BioScience 50:766–775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magee DL (2006) New energy geographics: powershed politics and hydropower decision making in Yunnan, China. PhD Dissertation, University of Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahmood K (1987) Reservoir sedimentation: impact, extent, and mitigation. Technical paper. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallik AU, Richardson JS (2009) Riparian vegetation change in upstream and downstream reaches of three temperate rivers dammed for hydroelectric generation in British Columbia, Canada. Ecol Eng 35:810–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti MP, Moyle PB (2001) Effects of flow regime on fish assemblages in a regulated California stream. Ecol Appl 11:530–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCartney M, Sullivan C, Acreman M (2001) Ecosystem impacts of large dams. Background Paper No. 2. Prepared for IUCN/UNEP/WCD

    Google Scholar 

  • McCartney M, Gichuki F, Nguyen-Khoa S, Kodituwakku D (2009) Living with dams: managing the environmental impacts. Water Policy 11:121–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCully P (1996) Silenced rivers: the ecology and politics of large dams. Zed Books, London, p 350

    Google Scholar 

  • McKinney ML, Lockwood JL (1999) Biotic homogenization: a few winner replacing many loser in the nest mass extinction. Tree 450–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Mertha A (2008) China’s water warriors: citizen action and policy change. Cornell University Press, Cornell

    Google Scholar 

  • Naiman RJ, Decamps H, Pollock M (1993) The role of riparian corridors in maintaining regional biodiversity. Ecol Appl 209–212

    Google Scholar 

  • New T, Xie Z (2008) Impacts of large dams on riparian vegetation: applying global experience to the case of China’s Three Gorges Dam. Biodivers Conserv 17:3149–3163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nickum JE (1998) Is China living on the water margin? China Quart 156:890–898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Dynesius M (1994) Ecological effects of river regulation on mammals and birds: a review. Regul Rivers: Res Manage 9:45–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Jansson R (1995) Floristic differences between riparian corridors of regulated and free flowing boreal rivers. Regul Rivers: Res Manage 11:55–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Svedmark M (2002) Basic principles and ecological consequences of changing water regimes: riparian plant communities. Environ Manage 30:468–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Jansson R, Zinko U (1997) Long-term responses of river-margin vegetation to water-level regulation. Science 276:798–800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olden JD, Rooney TP (2006) On defining and quantifying biotic homogenization. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 15:113–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olden JD, Poff NL, Bestgen KR (2006) Life-history strategies predict fish invasions and extirpations in the Colorado River Basin. Ecol Monogr 76:25–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ouyang W, Hao F, Zhao C, Lin C (2010) Vegetation response to 30 years hydropower cascade exploitation in upper stream of Yellow River. Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simulat 15:1928–1941

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan J, He J (2000) Large dams in China: a fifty-year review, China. WaterPower Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Petts GE (1984) Impounded rivers: perspectives for ecological management. Wiley, Chichester, p 326

    Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Hart DD (2002) How dams vary and why it matters for the emerging science of dam removal. Bioscience 52:659–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sadler B, Verocai I, Vanclay F (2000) Environmental and social impact assessment for large scale dams, WCD Thematic Review V.2 prepared as an input to the World Commission on Dams. WCD, Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

  • Scudder T (2005) The future of large dams: dealing with social, environmental, institutional and political costs. Earthscan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah Z, Kumar M (2008) In the midst of the large dam controversy: objectives, criteria for assessing large water storages in the developing world. Water Res Manage 22:1799–1824

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shine JP, Ika RV, Ford TE (1995) Multivariate statistical examination of spatial and temporal patterns of heavy metal contamination in New Bedford Harbor marine sediments. Environ Sci Technol 29:1781–1788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanford JA, Ward J, Liss WJ, Frissell CA, Williams RN, Lichatowich JA, Coutant CC (1996) A General Protocol for Restoration of Regulated Rivers. Regul Rivers: Res Manage 12:391–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stave J, Oba G, Stenseth NC, Nordal I (2005) Environmental gradients in the Turkwel riverine forest, Kenya: hypotheses on dam-induced vegetation change. For Ecol Manage 212:184–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stromberg JC, Lite SJ, Marler R, Paradzick C, Shafroth PB, Shorrock D, White JM, White MS (2007) Altered stream flow regimes and invasive plant species: the Tamarix case. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 16:381–393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tealdi S, Camporeale C, Ridolfi L (2011) Modeling the impact of river damming on riparian vegetation. J Hydrol 396:302–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The City of New York (2013) Watershed protection. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/watershed_protection/index.shtml. Accessed July 1, 2013

  • Tiffan KF, Garland RD, Rondorf DW (2002) Quantifying flow-dependent changes in subyearling fall Chinook salmon rearing habitat using two-dimensional spatially explicit modeling. N Am J Fish Manage 22:713–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valentin S, Wasson J, Philippe M (1995) Effects of hydropower peaking on epilithon and invertebrate community trophic structure. Regul Rivers: Res Manage 10:105–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vorosmarty CJ, McIntyre PB, Gessner MO, Dudgeon D, Prusevich A, Green P, Glidden S, Bunn SE, Sullivan CA, Liermann CR, Davies PM (2010) Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity (vol 467, pg 555, 2010). Nature 468:334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang P (2012) Social impact analysis of large dams: a case study of cascading dams on the upper-mekong river, China. Master’s Thesis

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang P, Lassoie JP, Dong S, Morreale SJ (2013a) A framework for social impact analysis of large dams: a case study of cascading dams on the Upper-Mekong River, China. J Environ Manage 117:131–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang P, Wolf SA, Lassoie JP, Dong S (2013b) Compensation policy for displacement caused by dam construction in China: an institutional analysis. Geoforum 48:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WCD (2000) Dams and development: a new framework for decision-making. World Commission on Dams

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams G, Wolman M (1985) Downstream effects of dams on alluvial rivers. US Geol. Surv., Prof. Pap. (United States), 1286

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2009) Directions in hydropower

    Google Scholar 

  • Wozney KM, Haxton TJ, Kjartanson S, Wilson CC (2011) Genetic assessment of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) population structure in the Ottawa River. Environ Biol Fishes 90:183–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu J, Huang J, Han X, Xie Z, Gao X (2003) Three-Gorges Dam—experiment in habitat fragmentation? Science 300:1239–1240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu J, Huang J, Han X, Gao X, He F, Jiang M, Jiang Z, Primack RB, Shen Z (2004) The three Gorges dam: an ecological perspective. Front Ecol Environ 2:241–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WWF (2005) Rivers at risk: dams and the future of freshwater ecosystems. http://www.panda.org/downloads/freshwater/riversatriskfullreport.pdf

  • Xu J (1998) Naturally and anthropogenically accelerated sedimentation in the lower Yellow River, China, over the past 13,000 years. Geogr Ann 80:67–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang T, Zhang Q, Chen YD, Tao X, Xu C-Y, Chen X (2008) A spatial assessment of hydrologic alteration caused by dam construction in the middle and lower Yellow River, China. Hydrol Process 22:3829–3843

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zakova Z, Berankova D, Kockova E, Kriz P, Mlejnkova H (1993) Investigation of the development of biological and chemical conditions in the Vir Reservoir 30 years after impoundment. Water Sci Technol 28:65–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang M, Jin Y (2008) Building damage in Dujiangyan during Wenchuan earthquake. Earthq Eng Eng Vibr 7:263–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Q, Liu S, Deng L, Dong S, Yang J, Wang C (2012a) The effects of dam construction and precipitation variability on hydrologic alteration in the Lancang River Basin of southwest China. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 26:993–1011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Q, Liu S, Deng L, Dong S, Yang Z, Yang J (2012b) Landscape change and hydrologic alteration associated with dam construction. Int J Appl Earth Obs Geoinf 16:17–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Q, Liu S, Deng L, Yang Z, Dong S, Wang C, Zhang Z (2012c) Spatio-temporal variation of heavy metals in fresh water after dam construction: a case study of the Manwan Reservoir, Lancang River. Environ Monit Assess 184:4253–4266

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Pu Wang & James P. Lassoie

  2. School of Environmental Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Shikui Dong

Authors
  1. Pu Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shikui Dong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James P. Lassoie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wang, P., Dong, S., Lassoie, J.P. (2014). A Global Review of Large Dam Construction. In: The Large Dam Dilemma. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7630-2_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation