Why Drain Lake Powell?
The idea of building dams on the Colorado River dates back to the early 1900's. There was a lot of debate about water rights in the Southwest. States like California, Arizona, and Nevada were developing and started worrying about where they would get water for their increasing populations. The solution was to control the flow of the Colorado River so these states could each have enough water. The only way to regulate the flow of the river was with a series of dams, which became the Colorado River Storage Project. It would allow the building of dams to create reservoirs for the purpose of storing the water for these Southwestern states, to make the area more useable, and to generate electricity. For the last few decades there has been a constant debate over Glen Canyon Dam, but it has increased in the last few years. A devoted group of environmentalists known as The Sierra Club argues that it would be better to remove the dam and drain Lake Powell because it is causing extreme environmental and ecological problems. While millions of others argue that the lake brings millions of dollars of revenue, the most exciting place of recreation, and water and electricity to more than three states. By weighing out th
e negative and positive aspects of the dam, research has proven that it would be more environmentally helpful to keep the reservoir untouched. Two other major arguments that people use for wanting to drain the lake are the sedimentation and pollution problems. Lake Powell is being filled with a great amount of sediment that may contain traces of mercury and selenium. Nobody knows when the reservoir will be completely filled with sediment, but it will happen. Because the nearest estimate of when this phenomenon will occur is two hundred years away, it should not be considered an immediate concern (DiLeo 32). However, one major concern that is a problem now is that boats and personal watercraft produce both water and air pollution. On the other hand, three million tons of coal is being saved each year the lake is there, which prevents a huge amount of air pollution. So, in actuality, draining the lake would most likely add to the air pollution problem instead of contributing to the prevention of it (Ostapuk). Another group who benefits from having the reservoir are the tourists. The Dam has created a beautiful lake that is popular to many as a vacation spot. Some argue that Glen Canyon, without the lake, would draw in more tourists because of its natural beauty. If this is true, it will be decades before this is seen. One reason for this is the If saving Lake Powell to lower pollution is not a good enough reason, think of the thousands of people whose lives would be devastated by its removal. A town called Page, Arizona could become extinct by the removal of this reservoir. This town was built in 1957 as engineers came together to develop the plans for Glen Canyon Dam. It continued to grow as more employees were hired to construct the dam and servi
Some topics in this essay:
Lake Powell,
Glen Canyon,
Navajo Indians,
Generating Station,
Canyon Dam,
Native Americans,
Storage Project,
Echo Park,
Colorado River,
Grand Canyon,
glen canyon,
lake powell,
canyon dam,
glen canyon dam,
drain lake,
draining lake,
navajo generating station,
generating station,
navajo generating,
drain lake powell,
air pollution,
colorado river,
echo park,
glen canyon lake,
utah arizona california,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 1194
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
CUSTOMER SERVICES
| |
|
Example Essays Home
