Page 291 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

(a) The CAD $25 billion Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, China.
River flow
Constructed channel includes locks for shipping
(b) Satellite view shows the dam and shipping channel.
▲Figure 9.14 Major dam in China. [(a) John Henshall/alamy. (b) naSa/gSFC/MiTi/erSDaC/JarOS.]
Beijing
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make room for the 600-km-long reservoir upstream from the dam. The immense scale of environmental, histori- cal, and cultural losses associated with the project was the subject of great controversy. Benefits from the proj- ect include flood control, water storage for redistribu- tion, and electrical power production, with capacity at 22000 MW. In October 2012, the reservoir was filled to its design capacity; however, water pollution and land- slides along the reservoir banks may force the relocation of an additional 300000 people.
In Canada, the Nelson River project in Manitoba, the Churchill Falls project in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the proposed $12 billion Gull Island Dam and related hydroelectric projects in Québec are significant. The Gull Island project, as originally proposed, would be sec- ond only to the Three Gorges Dam with regard to the size of proposed construction. All these projects have contro- versial engineering and political issues.
In the United States in 2011, hydropower accounted for 8% of total electricity production and 50% of the
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Chapter 9 Water resources
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THREE GORGES DAM
YELLOW SEA
Shanghai
EAST CHINA SEA
Satellite
Global Water Balance Components
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CHINA SEA 120°
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