Large Scale Water Management policies - water and top down developments

Question 1

Give examples of Large scale water management policies?

Answer 1

• Hoover Dam/ Lake Mead USA
• 3 Gorges Dam China
• South to North water diversion scheme

Question 2

What is Lake Mead?

Answer 2

A 180km reservoir created as a by-product to the Hoover Dam which supplies water to 8 million people in Arizona, Nevada and California

Question 3

Give features of the area the Lake Mead reservoir supplies water to:

Answer 3

• The area is arid and largely desert and very vulnerable to droughts
• Water is also used for leisure and recreational reasons as well as farming and in resorts
• Experiencing exponential population increase (Arizona increased 40% since 1990)
• Las Vegas doubled water consumption since 1990 to 219 gallons per person each day

Question 4

Give problems and issues surrounding the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead project:

Answer 4

• All the water from Colorado heading towards New Mexico used up in the reservoir, creating water shortages in other states
• Estuary of river is gone and bird and fish species close to the river are falling
• Lake Mead could fall below useable levels by 2020 in 2010 the reservoir was 40% full

Question 5

What solutions are being implemented to tackle the problem at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead?

Answer 5

• The amount of water used in LV strip has fallen to 7% of entire vegas consumption
• Wasted water from sinks and toilets is now treated and recycled back into Lake Mead
• Bedroom Linen washed every 2 days as to every day in hotels
• Water is only served when requested as to complimentary at resorts
• Water fountains at Bellagio is now water from deep underground stores which are undrinkable
• Homeowners paid to remove grass at $1.50 per square foot, led to 165 million square feet of grass being destroyed

Question 6

What is the south to north water diversion scheme?

Answer 6

• To be completed by 2020 the project will transfer 44.8 billion meters cubed of water from the wetter south to the drier north of China
• will cost $52 billion
• 3 main rivers of China will be linked by central, eastern and western routes

Question 7

What are the problems with the North to South Water Diversion scheme?

Answer 7

Land is flooded to make way for new routes, people displaced
Ancient sites are lost by flooding of land
Pasture land is flooded, affecting food supplies
Increased risk of water pollution from industry on new routes

Question 8

What is the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 8

• A dam finished in 2012 at a cost of $26 billion designed to improve water supply by regulating river flow, generating electricity and to make the rivers of China easier for ships to navigate on providing benefits economically
• Has 34 hydro-electric generators and a 600km reservoir created by 175m dam, reservoir provided millions of cubic meters of water in droughts of 2011 and prevented water flooding land downstream in 2012

Question 9

What are the problems with the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 9

• Land inundated for the reservoir has damaged river habitats and wildlife and has disrupted wildlife immigration routes along the river (632km2 of land flooded)
• 1.3 million people relocated from 1350 villages and 150 towns
• Water quality from reservoir dam is low due to industry upstream, farming waste and sewage entering water, therefore water may not be fit for consumption, one of the targets of scheme not met