Good Dams and Bad Dams : Environmental Criteria for Site Selection of Hydroelectric Projects

Good Dams and Bad Dams : Environmental Criteria for Site Selection of Hydroelectric Projects

This paper provides a simple, yet robust, methodology for comparing proposed hydroelectric project sites in terms of their expected negative environmental impacts, and relating these to power generation benefits. The paper also summarizes the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Ledec, George, Quintero, Juan David
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ACCELERATED EROSION ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY AQUATIC FAUNA AQUATIC HABITAT AQUATIC LIFE AQUATIC VEGETATION AQUATIC WEED GROWTH AQUATIC WEEDS ARTIFICIAL LAKES BAD DAMS BIG DAM BIG DAM CONTROVERSY BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY CARBON CARBON DIOXIDE CATCHMENT AREA CATCHMENT AREAS CIVIL ENGINEER CIVIL WORKS CLIMATE CHANGE COAL CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK CUBIC METERS DAM DAM CONSTRUCTION DAM HEIGHT DAM OUTLETS DAM PLANNING DAM PROJECTS DAM SITE DAM SITES DAMS DEFORESTATION DRINKING WATER ECOLOGICAL QUALITY ECOLOGY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS ELECTRICITY GENERATION EMISSIONS ENERGY EFFICIENCY ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ESTUARIES EXISTING AREA FINANCIAL RESOURCES FISH DIVERSITY FISH LADDERS FISH MIGRATIONS FISH PASSAGE FISHERIES FISHING FLOOD PROTECTION FLOW REGULATION FOREST MANAGEMENT FOSSIL FUELS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE GOOD DAMS GREENHOUSE GASES HEAD HIGH DAM HYDRO DEVELOPMENT HYDRO INDUSTRY HYDRO RESERVOIRS HYDROELECTRIC DAM HYDROELECTRIC DAMS HYDROELECTRIC DEVELOPMENT HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY HYDROELECTRIC POWER HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS HYDROELECTRIC SITES HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT HYDROPOWER FACILITIES HYDROPOWER SITES IMPOUNDMENT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES INTAKES INTERNATIONAL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL RIVERS INTERNATIONAL WATER POWER IRRIGATION IRRIGATION WATER LAKE LAND AREA LAND USE LARGE DAM LARGE DAMS LARGE HYDROPOWER LARGE HYDROPOWER PROJECTS LARGE RESERVOIRS LARGE RIVER LOCAL PEOPLE MASTER PLAN MICRO-DAMS MIGRATORY FISH MIGRATORY FISH SPECIES MINES MITIGATION MEASURES MULTIPURPOSE DAMS NATIVE FISH NATIVE FISH SPECIES NATIVE SPECIES NATURAL GAS NATURAL HABITAT NATURAL HABITATS OIL POLLUTANTS POLLUTION CONTROL POPULATION GROWTH POWER GENERATION POWER PLANTS POWER SECTOR PRIVATE SECTOR PROTECTED AREAS REGISTER OF DAMS RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY RESERVOIR AREA RESERVOIR FILLING RESERVOIR SEDIMENTATION RESERVOIR VOLUME RESERVOIR WATER RESERVOIRS RESETTLEMENT RIPARIAN RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS RIVER RIVER AREA RIVER BASIN RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT RIVER BED RIVER FLOW RIVER SYSTEM RIVERINE RIVERINE ECOSYSTEMS RIVERINE FORESTS RIVERS SAFEGUARD POLICIES SEDIMENT SEDIMENT LOADS SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT SHALLOW RESERVOIR SILENCED RIVERS SMALL RESERVOIR SPILLWAYS STORAGE RESERVOIRS STREAMS STRETCH OF RIVER SURFACE AREA SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TIMBER TRIBUTARIES TRIBUTARY TRIBUTARY RIVERS TURBINES WASTE DISPOSAL WATER LEVELS WATER POLLUTION WATER QUALITY WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS WATER RESOURCES WATER RETENTION WATER RETENTION TIME WATER STORAGE WATER SUPPLIES WATER SUPPLY WATERFALLS WATERSHED MANAGEMENT WETLAND HABITATS WILDLIFE WILDLIFE HABITAT WILDLIFE RESCUE WILDLIFE RESOURCES WORLD RIVERS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/11/19886636/good-dams-bad-dams-environmental-criteria-site-selection-hydroelectric-projects http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20226

Description
Summary:	This paper provides a simple, yet robust, methodology for comparing proposed hydroelectric project sites in terms of their expected negative environmental impacts, and relating these to power generation benefits. The paper also summarizes the environmental mitigation options for large dams. If properly implemented, these mitigation measures can effectively prevent, minimize, or compensate for many (though not all) of a hydroelectric project's negative impacts. Nonetheless, the most effective environmental mitigation measure is good site selection, to ensure that the proposed dam will cause relatively little damage in the first place. The paper presents quantitative indicators (using data that are relatively easy to obtain) for rating and ranking proposed new hydroelectric projects in terms of their likely adverse environmental impacts. Projects with a small reservoir surface area (relative to power generation) tend to be most desirable from both an environmental and social standpoint, in part because they minimize natural habitat losses as well as resettlement needs. In general, the most environmentally benign hydroelectric dam sites are on upper tributaries, while the most problematic ones are on the large main stems of rivers.

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