Dams, Lakes and Reservoirs
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©EAWAG, last update 8.9.2003, Eliane Scharmin, back to top
In the future there will be more pressure
on natural water resources for hydropower, irrigation, drinking water, and
flood control. Throughout Switzerland and Europe damming has seriously disrupted
the natural river flow in almost all major waterways, which in turn are
already heavily affected by anthropogenic activities. As a result, the general
loss of biodiversity in the major large rivers in Europe is enormous and
many dams and reservoirs are in regions of great natural beauty and of high
ecological value. Also, the bio-geochemical and biological effects of damming
are often overlooked because they are of more long-term and interregional
nature. On the other hand, hydropower is a renewable source of energy and
in that respect hydropower achieves a high degree of sustainability. This
dilemma (biodiversity and environmental conservation versus future energy
needs) polarised the debate on the future role of dams in Switzerland, Europe
and worldwide.
The goal of our projects is to evaluate and understand the functioning of
a system (river system, reservoirs, catchment) and to develop ways of "wise
use" and sustainable management of natural water resources. For current
projects see:
- Nutrient and metal retention capacity of the Iron
Gate Reservoirs (Romania)
- Effect of turbidity on Lake
Brienz productivity and ecosystem functioning.
More information:
- Publications Dams, Lakes and Reservoirs