Ron Johnson wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > On 02/28/07 12:58, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> On 27 Feb, Ron Johnson wrote: >> >>>> It's not stupid if you haven't been there. >>> I thought you were smarter than that. >>> >>> Presuming you're not: >>> >>> Mountains and valleys (great for filling up with dammed water) are >>> the predominant geological feature of the areas of the Columbia and >>> Snake rivers where those hydro dams are located. >>> >>> Mountains and valleys are *not* the predominant geological feature >>> of the Great Plains states, or those uber-mountainous states like >>> Louisiana and Mississippi. >>> >> >> But there are turbines which are designed to extract energy >> from the flow of a river without the need of significant height >> gradients. And tidewater generators don't rely on any (land) >> topography, so the question is not entirely unreasonable. > > Taking energy out of the river means it slows down, depositing more > silt, and in unexpected places. Which means impaired ship > navigation and more dredging.
Depends on the location. The Columbia River was not exactly a navigable waterway above Bonneville Falls before the Bonneville Power Administration started building dams. > And in the spring flood stages, a slower river means more floods. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]