The Defense Sector: The Dam Sector

3.5 million miles of water run throughout the United States; and since the country’s conception, over 80,000 dams have impounded 600,000 miles of these waters [1]. Dams were originally constructed to provide water to towns and establishes energy sources for mills and later hydroelectric plants. Because these dams were constructed decades ago, they’re reaching a critical point of obsoleteness where they cause more harm than good. Dam removal is increasingly popular across the country to address the ecological problems including habitat loss and sedimentation, despite potential for downstream harm, removing dams is more environmentally and economically cost effective than upgrading them. The Marmot, Glines Canyon, and Elwha river dam removal projects each highlight different challenges of dam removal, but overall

One of the largest geographic physical structures in the United States is the Colorado River. Human activity and its interaction with this great river have an interesting history. The resources provided by the river have been used by humans, and caused conflict for human populations as well. One of these conflicts is water distribution, and the effects drought conditions have played in this distribution throughout the southwestern region. Major cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other communities in the southwest depend on the river. It provides water for over 20 million people, irrigation for 2 million acres of land, four thousand megawatts of hydroelectric energy, and over twenty million annual visitors for

Lockheed Martin Corporation relies heavily on defense contracts from the U.S. Government. In fact, 84 percent of the company's net sales were made through being a prime contractor or subcontractor for the U.S. Government. These sales come from both the Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD agencies. The next largest area of revenue is from foreign governments that make up 15 percent of net sales. The remaining net sales come from commercial or other customer sales. A slow economy could cause decline or reprioritization of funding for the U.S. defense budget. This is also true for

The Grand Coulee Dam, located in Eastern Washington, was one of controversy, risk, and a point of no return. While the water captured made the desert area blossom in agriculture and it powered some large cities, it created a sense of accomplishment, that humans can control Mother Nature. While many people were very excited for this new construction – which gives power and resources - at the time, some thought it should not be allowed, they are not proud of containing the Columbia River. In this analysis, I am going to focus on the economic and social effects that the Grand Coulee Dam created in its build.

BPA, a power marketing agency of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), supplies roughly half of the electricity used in the Pacific Northwest. The power that BPA markets comes primarily from 31 Federal hydroelectric projects (known collectively as the Federal Columbia River Power System, or FCRPS), and one non-federal nuclear plant. BPA is a co-manager of the Federal hydroelectric projects, but it does not own or operate them. Such responsibilities belong to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau). For the purpose of this case study, Bureau of Reclamation owns and operates the dams and the Army Corps of Engineers builds and maintains the dams.

The article “Down go the dams” by Jane C.Marks aim to provide an informative view on the current pending issue on Dams. The article starts out my mentioning the important nature of dams in our society. For example, Jane C.Marks states that today about 800,000 dams operate worldwide as well as the fact that most were built in the past century, primarily after World War II. Furthermore, the author lays down informative facts about dams such as the fact that dams control flooding and their reservoirs provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation which are all very important to society. In an economic standpoint, although it is very high maintenance dams provide jobs for people. The

The Three Gorges Dam is an unfinished project which will be the largest dam ever constructed on the planet Earth. It is situated in China on the third largest river in the world – the Yangtze. The dam has been debated over since the 1919 and is still a hot topic of debate because of its many pros and cons. In 1994 construction began on the dam, and it is expected to be finished by the year 2009. The massive dimensions of the dam are mind boggling and its functions – if the dam actually works – are truly remarkable; however, with such a large structure also comes difficulties, sacrifices, and cynics. The goal of this essay is to lend an understanding of the dam itself, the prospective benefits of

Hydroelectric dams as energy sources have many advantages; they provide a renewable energy source, it can take the place of fossil fuel usages, and while being built dams can significantly help jobs in the development industry (Perlman). However, these dams are extremely costly, not just economically but environmentally and socially as well. These costs can be demonstrated by looking at the consequences of other dams. Three Gorges in China: release of methane gases, deforestation, water pollution, ecosystem disruption. Glen Canyon Dam: sedimentation, endangerment and extinction of species endemic to the area, poor water quality, crippling of ecosystems downstream—and these are just the environmental impacts! All of these

The thirst for water has lead individuals and organizations to build dams across rivers at an alarming rate. During the early 1900s dams were being built so fast it was no longer big news when a dam was completed. These structures provided controlled irrigation water and hydroelectric power to the communities not only close to the reservoirs and dams, but also provided irrigation water and hydroelectric power to communities many miles away from the river. Negatively blocking the flow of the river has impacted fish ecosystems, increased evaporation of water, and flooded intricately important landscapes. These negative impacts, it can be argued, affect the humans living downstream or within the flood plain of the dam site. Dams

America faces an annual shortfall of $11 billion to replace aging facilities to comply with safe drinking water regulations, and yet as of 2005, federal funding for drinking water remained at less than 10 percent of this total. The National Park Service estimates (and underestimates) a maintenance backlog of $6.1 billion. In January 2007 dozens of beaches in California were closed when heavy rains caused an overflow that dumped millions of gallons of raw sewage into the waters. The number of unsafe dams rose by 33 percent between 1998 and 2005. The number of non-federally-owned dams identified as unsafe is increasing at a faster rate than those being repaired. For all the non-federally-owned dams that pose a direct risk to human life if they should fail, the ASCE estimates that $10.1 billion is needed over the next twelve years to make them safe. In sum, the ASCE estimates that the country would need to spend $1.6 trillion in the next five years to bring the country's infrastructure to an acceptable minimum

The Los Angeles Aqueduct pumps some of the water from the Owens River, about two hundred billion gallons a year to LA. The management of the water is divided among multiple basins and water rights holders along the way, which makes it a bit difficult to fully utilize all the water sources. Because of our current drought and light snow in the mountains these past years; we will most likely resort to the Colorado River for our source of water. Los Angeles has implemented several ways to become more sustainable by using the urban water cycle, which captures, stores, and reuse the water that the city already uses. The Los Angeles Aqueduct delivers is water by gravity, with fourteen hydropower plants, five storage reservoirs, and 142 tunnels.

     As previously mentioned, the Boulder Dam was one of the most famous, and certainly most expensive (with the whole project costing about $385 million) public works program. To provide jobs and much needed money to unemployed Americans, the Bureau of Reclamation, under President Hoover, authorized the Boulder Canyon Project on the Colorado River in 1928. The entire project included a hydroelectric power plant and a reservoir to control floods of the Colorado River and supply power to the Pacific Southwest. The dam reservoir is Lake Mead, which can store approximately 28 million acre-feet of water, making it one of the world’s largest artificially created bodies of water. Besides providing many jobs, the project responsible for the officially named Hoover Dam (as of 1947), added about 3 million acres of national parks and monuments and expanded

With Boise Idaho being one of the top 20 fastest growing cities in the US the water needs are going to be increasing over the next 20 + plus. Since 2012 the growth rate has been around a growth rate of 1.8. Boise has a pretty good location, It has the Boise river running through the middle of downtown boise. There are three dams that are located on the river just out side of town. Approximately 95% of Idahoans rely on ground water for drinking water. Surface water, such as streams, rivers, reservoirs, and springs, supplies the remaining 5%(DEQ). The first one is called Lucky Peak dam and the second one is called Arrow Rock dam and the third one is called Anderson Ranch dam. The Lucky Peak dam creates the Luck Peak lake. It has a capacity of 307,000 acre foot. Then the Arrow Rock dam created Arrow Rock reservoir and that has a holding capacity of 300,850 acre foot. Then Anderson Ranch dam has a carrying capacity of around 500,000 acre foot. So the three combine around to 1 million acre foot of water storage. Boise annually receives around 12 inches of rain per year. It gets around 8 or 9 inches of snow fall that turns into snow pack for this year. The snow pack just like the rain fall all just depends on the year. So we don 't get to much from rainfall and snowpack.

The Three Gorges Dam is a dam that was completed in 2003 and supply’s 3% of China’s needed energy. It allows ships to bring goods into Central China, and has also saved China from many floods. Instead of burning coal, the dam helps to not pollute China’s air as much. Thirty-two of the dam’s turbines generate as much electricity as eighteen power plants. The dam is also safer and cheaper than burning coal. In conclusion, the Three Gorges Dam helps to show the rest of the world how big and powerful China

Water is the fundamental asset to bolster all shape life on earth. Shockingly it is not equally disseminated over the world via season or area. All through the historical backdrop of the world dams and stores have been developed with a specific end goal to anticipate surges, to supply drinking and