The main purpose of a dam is to provide
height. The higher the dam, the greater power we can get. Dams must also resist
a great amount of pressure from the water stored in the reservoir. The factors
in the dam design include: dam type, material, and spillway mechanisms.
Dam
Types
Dam types include: arch, buttress, earth,
and gravity. The most common dam type for hydro-power is the “gravity” dam,
where the dam is thicker at the bottom. The tallest of dams (greater than 300
feet) are usually arch type dams. The material for a hydro-power dam is usually
concrete. However, within the concrete there can exist several types of
materials to reinforce the dam. These materials include metals, plastics, and
engineered composites.
Inspection
of Dams
Dams must be inspected regularly. All dams
weaken with age and will eventually need repair. Furthermore, many dams are
nearing the end of their designed lifetimes. Engineers are already aware of
this, including the dam safety officials of each state and the US Army Corp of
Engineers. These authorities inspect and repair dams daily to ensure that our
dams are safe.
Most of the nation’s largest dams have been
modernized. However, there are approximately 90,000 dams in this country, which
is an enormous number of dams to inspect. Also, many states lack the funds to
properly inspect and maintain all the dams in their area. This is a situation
which needs greater scrutiny.
To be more specific: our infrastructure of dams needs
serious investigation and repair. Any one of these dams could break after the
next heavy rain, earthquake, flood, or tornado. The number of dams are
enormous, and many states do not have the funds to make adequate inspection or
repairs. Therefore, I believe it is very important that as a society we put more
resources (financial, manpower, and agency priorities) into this situation.
This article is an
excerpt from my book “Hydropower Explained Simply”. You can find the full book here.
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