The Effects of Dam Construction on the Trinity River Those working in Watershed management know there is little doubt these days that dam construction on our nation’s waterways is having a detrimental effect on rivers and their associated ecosystems. Many of the harmful effects created by dams are not always perceivable to the untrained observer, nor can they be observed on a temporal basis since changes to stream morphology may occur over a span of a few years, to hundreds and even thousands of years.
When examining dam construction on healthy and functioning rivers and their ecosystems, what becomes evident is the cline of fisheries and water quality (Mount 236). The damming of natural stream flows degrades fish habitats by increasing temperature and turbidity of the water, while at the same time creating insurmountable passages for fish on their way to spawning grounds. Another effect of dams on waterways is the change in the amount and force of the water moving through the river system.
This alters the amount and type of sediment the river carries. As a result, the river looses its ability to maintain equilibrium and forces the river to modify other aspects of its system, ouch as stream patterning and channel width and depth (Grams & Schmidt 365). This may lead to, among other things, stream channel incision or scouring, activities that may forever alter the natural flow of the river system.
This report examines the effects dam construction has had on the Trinity River of Northern California. My examination of these effects will rely on using historical data that was collected before and after the dam was constructed, as well as data sampled from a section of the river that is unaffected by the dam. Using this data I will perform statistical and replica analysis to inspect the impact of the dam on the river system, with a primary focus on timing and size of stream discharge.
Citations: Grams, Paul E. And John C. Schmidt. 2001. Streamline regulation and multi-level flood plain formation: channel narrowing on the grading Green River in the eastern Ninth Mountains, Colorado and Utah. Geomorphology 44 (2002) 337 – 360. Mount, Jeffrey F. 1995. California Rivers and Streams. University of California Press. The Effects of Dam Construction on the Trinity River By Willingham Scott
