I got an email from TheWaterChannel the other day titled Dam Facts. It was pretty brief [italicized emboldening is mine]:
This week 52 years ago, the construction of the Aswan High Dam started in Egypt. The total
length is 3,830 meters, it is 980 meters wide and it has a reservoir of 111 cubic kilometers of water.
After the discovery of increased seismic activity in the reservoir of the Hoover Dam (USA) and in the reservoir of the Three Gorges Dam (China), the debate in China on the impact of dams went on. Now there is even a myth going around that the Three Gorges Dam influences the rotation of the earth.
And did you know that the largest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam in Tajikistan? With its 300 m height it is a massive piece of engineering. This dam is used for power generation, but dams can serve many functions including flood prevention, water supply, recreation and land reclamation.
Watch these videos to find out more on gains, losses, social and environmental impacts: Damming the Mekong, The problem of the Ohrid eel, Bujigali - six stories of resettlements or check out the Large Dam video category.
Whoa! It's a myth that the Three Gorges Dam (actually, the reservoir created by the dam) does not influence the rotation of Earth? Actually, it does: the rotation of Earth will slow down. The day will become longer by 0.06 microseconds. The position of the pole will be shifted by about 2 centimeters. Here is a brief news item.
The link they provide does refute the myth.
Perhaps I'm being picky, but to me, myth implies a falsehood. Their language implies that the myth is true, especially since they don't mention that their own reference refutes the myth.
Enough already, right?
Take a look at the videos.
"For the good of our environment, the good of the economy, and the good of the Nation, I strongly urge support of the upper Mississippi locks and dams project." - Leonard Boswell
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