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China: Three Gorges Project
Economic Development and the Environment: CHINA and the Three Gorges Project Economic Development and the Environment: CHINA and the Three Gorges Project Source: National Geographic Patrick Buckley Geography Western Washington University China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Intro Video China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
May 20, 2011 China Admits Problems With Three Gorges Dam Nytimes.com BEIJING — The Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric project and a symbol of China’s confidence in risky technological solutions, is troubled by urgent pollution and geologic problems, a high-level government body acknowledged Thursday. China: Three Gorges Project
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In China with WWU Students
Dr. Buckley and daughter in Beijing with Western Students China: Three Gorges Project
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II. The Three Gorges Project
Brief History and Geography Proposed Benefits Expected Impacts Current Problems China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Location China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Satellite View China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Geography Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
History Early 20th century -- Pres. Sun Yat-sen and U.S. Army Corps explore possibilities Post liberation -- Mao offers to trade leadership role for engineer’s cap 1980’s Li Peng’s wife champion’s the cause 1994 construction started in earnest despite strong opposition China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Dam Specifications Dam Crest m (about 55 stories high) Dam Length 2,000m (about 1.2 miles long) Pool Length 632 km(as long as Lake Superior) Generation Capacity 18,200 MW (about 18 nukes or % of current need in China) Displaced People +1.2 million Navigation 10,000 dwt ships (Great Lakes take up to 30,000dwt ships or a dozen barges on the Mississippi River) China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Construction Process Coffer Dam Lock construction June 2002 China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Relative Size of Three Gorges Project Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Issues Flooding and why dams might be good Hydro electricity and paying for the dam Tourism and the value of the Gorges Transportation value of the dam Question of relocation and political dissent Danger of dam collapse Possible silting problems China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Flooding 1998 Periphery dike of Jiujiang technologic development district was burst at 11 a.m. on Augest 7th,of which the width is 60m. Source: ttp://webclub.kcom.ne.jp/ma/telesign/sub3.htm#section2 Taming rivers In 1998, after three months of torrential rains, floods on the Yangtze river claimed 3,650 lives and caused more than US $30 billion in damage. Chinese officials acknowledge that deforestation and poor logging practices led to erosion of the river’s banks and silt accumulation, and were major factors behind this disaster. Prior to 1950, the Yangtze flooded on average every six years. By the 1980s, there was a large flood every two years – an alarming trend that continued through the 1990s. Source: China Review China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
The submerged Development Area in Jiujiang August 11th,1998 Source: China: Three Gorges Project
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Satellite Image of Poyang-Lake area during the flood.(7.26.1998)
The Black blue color represents water bodies before the flood, red represents flood area, pink represents water logging soil area, green represents normal vegetation. China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Proposed Benefits 1. Flood Control -- doubtful given 1998/99 flood events and recent 2010 flood 2. Clean Hydro Power questions of cost/efficiency Imbalance between production cost and sale price ($8 100kw versus $3 100kw) 3. Navigation -- ocean shipping to Chongqing 4. Water storage and diversion -- questionable given alternative proposals China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Expected Impacts 1. Environmental -- Loss of land, habitat, and “clean” water 2. Human -- Loss of livelihoods and towns 3. Financial -- huge gamble with limited development capital – may not pay for itself 4. Cultural impacts -- loss of artifacts 5. Tourist impacts -- unknown China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Source: National Geographic Ghost City before and after innudation China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Source: National Geographic Land is scarce, precious, and rich -- no replacement China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Source: National Geographic Clean Water is already in very short supply China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Relocation Development? Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Source: National Geographic Most relocation is from urbanized areas and when possible the new town takes shape above the old China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Change is always painful Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
This is the world’s largest construction project costing between 20 and 80 billion dollars -- it is visible from outer space Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Boatman on the mini-gorges -- this tourism has been lost Source: National Geographic China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Before the dam was closed, note the air quality as a signal. China: Three Gorges Project Source: National Geographic
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Areas of Special Concern
Sedimentation Water quality in the reservoir Geologic stability of the dam and reservoir Off the record reactions to the project China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
1. Sedimentation China: Three Gorges Project
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China’s Scientists Take these issues very seriously
China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Sedimentation Production of Sediment Deforestation Post 1998 “ban” on logging Will tourism be milder? Resettlement on higher/steeper slopes Increased use of marginal land Deforestation Burnt trees in Yunnan, China. China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Sediment Transport Rivers create dynamic equilibriums Based on source material, velocity & flow Think of this as a gravel freight train Dams decrease velocity locally Deposition results (same number of “full trains” entering reservoir but release their load, sediment left behind) Need periodic flushing Works locally & on fine silts and sand Deltas build at entrances to reservoir Issues of distance from dam and gravel China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Results above Dam Storage capacity lost above dam especially in tributaries and mouth of reservoir Surprisingly Flood hazard increases above dam on tributaries ChongQing and upstream areas threatened China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Results at Dam Sediment piles up in reservoir Less Power Generation capacity Three issues impacted Value of dam declines Life Expectancy decreases Ability to pay for dam becomes speculative China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Results below Dam “Hungry” river robs levies Estuary starves – delta retreats Places like Wuhon face weaker dikes and higher protection costs Shanghai slowly “sinking” into the China Sea (New Orleans Syndrome) China: Three Gorges Project
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Possible Mitigation Impacts
More upstream interception dams Currently under construction Dredging required to keep channels open Periodic flushing of reservoir decreases hydro-power potential Higher maintenance costs down stream Loss of coastal land $$$$$$...”a billion here, a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” Sen Everett Dirkson China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
2. Water Quality Research Review Water Pollution and Human Health in China Changhua Wu,1 Crescencia Maurer,1 Yi Wang,2 Shouzheng Xue,3 and Devra Lee Davis1 1World Resources Institute, Washington, DC USA 2National Conditions Analysis Group, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, China Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 107, Number 4, April 1999 Introduction Rapid Industrialization Urbanization Intensification and Modernization of Agriculture Conclusions and Recommendations China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Water Quality Grades Water Grades Natural Reserves pristine water Class 1 drinking water Class 2 drinking water available for swimming Industrial use and recreation where there is no bodily contact Agricultural use Below 5 – don’t touch it China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Water Quality Money for water treatment robbed for dam building Gezhoba dam’s reservoir already considered poor quality Water Quality throughout China is threatened China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Water Quality Map Click on Map to go to web site China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
3. Geologic Stability As early as 1997 stability problems were experienced in building the ship canal Cracks reported in dam in January 2002 Real concern “tidal” waves in reservoir Teton Dam Collapse 1976 in Idaho, USA China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
4. Off the Record This is the “Olympics” of the engineering world Hard to find scientists that really support the project Is this the CCP’s Great Wall? China: Three Gorges Project
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III. Concluding Thougts
China wants what we have This is a big stakes gamble both politically and financially What is it worth to you as an American to protect the environment -- Chinese already take buses, bike, and even walk. Do you??? China: Three Gorges Project
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Back to the May 20th Article and others
Government admits some of following problems Pollution in the reservoir needs addressing Some dams around cities to keep pollution out Climate and current drought seen as a result of the dam Dam won’t prevent flood damage but will help mediate Geological problems especially sluffing still need to be addressed China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Cont. Regional water tables effected by dam level and releases Drinking water quality effected by dam May be increased risk of earthquakes from weight of reservoir. Admission that displaced re-locatees may not recover to previous income before 2020 (and numbers continue to grow) China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Cont. Environmental extinctions and spread of pests is becoming more prominent True price tag of project still unknown Hydro power potential still unknown Ability to transfer water from south to north still unknown China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Three Gorges pose environmental, health risk: Scientist Thu Apr 27, :35 AM ET Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse Rising pollution levels in China's Three Gorges reservoir are increasing the risk of an ecological and public health disaster, a leading national scientist says. "After water started to accumulate in the reservoir, the flow rate of the (Yangtze) river dropped, resulting in a decreased ability of the river to clean itself," the China Business Times quoted environmental expert Shu Weiqun as saying. "Because of this, the reservoir area, with its 31 million people, has become a high ecological and public health risk area." Shu, a professor at the environment and sanitation research institute of the People's Liberation Army's Third Medical Hospital, was last week awarded a national environmental protection award for his research into the water quality of the Three Gorges reservoir. The award reflects the central government's determination to ensure the water remains clean in the 600-kilometer-long (372-mile) reservoir behind the controversial Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric project, the paper said. The award has also given Shu a platform to air his concerns over pollution levels in the reservoir. Since water began accumulating in the reservoir in 2003, the government has invested more than four billion yuan (500 million dollars) for at least one water treatment plant in every county surrounding the body of water, the paper said. "But at present only 20 percent of the polluted water (flowing into the reservoir) is being treated," Shu said. Shu also said that state water quality standards were far from adequate, as they only required the monitoring of 35 items, including only four known organic pollutants. The professor said he had discovered 101 organic pollutants in the reservoir. Shu urged increased spending on pollution controls and water treatment plants, higher water quality standards for the reservoir and a pollution control law to cover the entire Yangtze river basin, it said. China is expected to announce the completion of the construction phase of the dam in the coming weeks, although the last set of power generators will not go on line for two more years. China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
NY Times China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Reference Pictures from: Zich, Arthur and Bob Sacha “China’s Three Gorges”, National Geographic, vol. 192, no. 3, pp Breaking Information And multiple web sites China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Want More Information? Look at a past syllabus/reading list via my web page Want to travel there??? Keep in contact China: Three Gorges Project
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China: Three Gorges Project
Study Tours to China Summer Quarter 4 Weeks Prep at WWU 3 Weeks in China Traveled with Chinese Students Organized Mini-Conference Worked in Pairs for local interview Cost around $3000 China: Three Gorges Project
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