In the United States and around the world, dams have made a home for themselves in many bodies of water.
But now there’s a growing push to prevent new ones from being built. Sandy Rosenthal, founder of investigative nonprofit levees.org, says the benefits don’t outweigh the consequences.
“There are just too many options to hydroelectric power these days. And in addition to that, there’s also a wealth of knowledge now, nearly a century’s worth of information has shown us that the damage to the environment is incredible,” she said.
In late May, dam failures in Michigan unleashed massive flooding in the Midland community.
The flooding carried toxins from a chemical plant into the state’s ecosystem. It also forced around 10,000 people to abandon their homes.
Rosenthal says the disaster has made Americans warier of the wide, imposing structures.
She said, “Whenever you see a dam failure in Michigan or a dam failure in Nevada or a levee failure in Wisconsin, people think, ‘Oh my goodness, thank good it wasn’t me, thank good it wasn’t my neighborhood. But it also put the thought in people’s mind, ‘This could’ve been me, it could’ve happened to me.’”
But according to her, floods and natural disasters don’t do enough to spread awareness about the issue. She says what really makes a difference is when people speak up.
“With stories, like this one right now, with my organization taking note and working together, that’s how change happens. It happens either because of a terrible disaster or because the citizens of this country demand it,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal noted that existing dams should be maintained, but added the United States shouldn’t build any more. Instead, the country should look toward other alternatives to clean energy, such as wind and solar power.
Advocacy organization American Rivers estimates 1,200 dams were dismantled from 1992 to 2019.
