Big Dams

Lenguajes técnicos como herramienta política. Actores en el conflicto de Itoitz: pro o contra?

by Gualter Barbas Baptista

ESTIMATION OF EARTHQUAKE INDUCED DRY SETTLEMENTS OF CFR DAMS

by Dimitris Egglezos

published in Proceedings of the 4rth Japan- Greece Workshop, October 2011, Kobe Japan.

ABSTRACT: The estimation of dry settlement, arising from seismic action, is a significant
factor for the proper... more ABSTRACT: The estimation of dry settlement, arising from seismic action, is a significant
factor for the proper design of rockfill dams. This applies particularly to Concrete Face Rockfill
(CFR) Dams, where the deformed (due to the settlement) dam geometry imposes increased
stress upon the concrete slab of the upstream face. In this work, a simple method for calculating
dynamic dry settlement in CFR dams is presented, based on simple empirical relations for a) estimating
settlement on sand from earthquake (Egglezos 2008), and b) calculating a notional value
of void ratio for gravel (instead of the actual value) in order to simulate dynamic behavior of
gravel to that of an imaginary sand material referring hitherto as “equivalent sand” (Egglezos,
2010). The application of these empirical relations allows the estimation of rockfill settlement,
through relevant equations for sand (Egglezos 2007, 2010). The results from the empirical relations
apply directly to a 2-D ordinary static FE analysis, in order to obtain the post earthquake
stress-strain field and the permanent deformation (vertical settlement and lateral spreading) induced
from the seismic shock. The deformed geometry of the CFRD may be exploited for determining
the concrete slab stress state, aiming to an effective design.

The dammed of the earth: Reading the dam for the flows of globalization

by Max Haiven

A chapter in the forthcoming collection "Thinking with Water." Eds. Cecilia Chen, Janine MacLeod and Astrida Neimanis  – forthcoming 2012, McGill-Queens University Press.

In an age of global “flows” and historical blockages, amidst a crisis of financial “liquidity” and a general rhetoric... more In an age of global “flows” and historical blockages, amidst a crisis of financial “liquidity” and a general rhetoric of “fluid” identities, political communities and ideologies, the hydro-electric mega-dam looms as both an icon and a technology of global power relations that is rich with metaphoric and material significance. On the one hand, the mega-dam promises modern and modernist empowerment, electrification, and the subordination of something called nature to something called nation. On the other hand, the mega-dam’s shadow is a legacy of exploitation and destruction around the world: one fundamental to the production and reproduction of the contemporary colonial world system and one which has flooded specific peoples and places with a profound and toxic debt that is not merely financial, but also ecological, social and cultural.

In order to unpack this dense site of global struggle, Haiven’s paper advances in three parts. In the first part, he suggests that the climactic scenes of dams breaking in recent Hollywood blockbusters reveal both a profound ambivalence and desire in the Western political unconscious. He reads these recurring scenes of fantastic structural collapse as a vexed neo-diluvian longing for the return of repressed and oppressed flows of water—an apocalyptic counterpoint to modernity and globalization within privileged quarters of the global order (see Lord of the Rings: Two Towers [2002], X2: X-Men United [2003] and Transformers [2007]). In the second section, Haiven traces the intertwined political, economic and cultural forces of global support and resistance to hydroelectric mega-dams in the work of internationally acclaimed Indian novelist, essayist, and anti-dam activist, Arundhati Roy. In conclusion, Haiven addresses Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water (1999), a novel set in the shadow of a dam built illegally on Blackfoot lands in Southern Alberta. Here, the tropes of water and fluidity act as playful multivalent foils to the cultural, social, and historical blockages of ongoing colonialism. Within the breach and collapse of these exemplary dams, Haiven navigates the potential for a globalization from below.

Foreign Visitors in Riparian Corridors of the American Southwest: Is Xenophytophobia Justified?

by Matt Chew

Ch. 11 in Tellman, Barbara (ed) 2002. Invasive Exotic Species in the Sonoran Region. University of Arizona Press.

[From CAB Abstracts] Riparian areas in southwestern American deserts support native plant communities that are more... more [From CAB Abstracts] Riparian areas in southwestern American deserts support native plant communities that are more dense, structurally complex, productive and species-rich than those of the adjacent xeric uplands. Riparian areas attract human settlement and, as a result, riparian exotic plants have become an issue. The factors that have facilitated the influx of exotics into riparian corridors and the ways in which riparian ecosystem functions have been affected are discussed (with the impact of saltcedars (Tamarix spp.) as an example). High exotic abundance may be aided by flooding (enhancing dispersal and establishment opportunities), the introduction of grazing animals and other anthropogenic influences, e.g. road development and agriculture. Some woody exotics are now widespread and locally abundant in southwestern riparian areas, including Elaeagnus angustifolia, Ailanthus altissima, Tamarix spp. and Nicotiana glauca. There are probably over 100 naturalized exotic herbaceous species, the most successful of which are probably the grasses, e.g. Cynodon dactylon, Sorghum halepense, Polypogon monspeliensis and Bromus spp. Constructive options for restoring functionality to southwestern desert riparian ecosystems are discussed.

Flood Pulses and Restoration of Riparian Vegetation in the American Southwest

by Matt Chew

Ch. 2 in Middleton, Beth A., Ed. 2002. Flood Pulsing in Wetlands: Restoring the Natural Balance. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

[From CAB Abstracts] Riparian areas in southwestern American deserts support native plant communities that are more... more [From CAB Abstracts] Riparian areas in southwestern American deserts support native plant communities that are more dense, structurally complex, productive and species-rich than those of the adjacent xeric uplands. Riparian areas attract human settlement and, as a result, riparian exotic plants have become an issue. The factors that have facilitated the influx of exotics into riparian corridors and the ways in which riparian ecosystem functions have been affected are discussed (with the impact of saltcedars (Tamarix spp.) as an example). High exotic abundance may be aided by flooding (enhancing dispersal and establishment opportunities), the introduction of grazing animals and other anthropogenic influences, e.g. road development and agriculture. Some woody exotics are now widespread and locally abundant in southwestern riparian areas, including Elaeagnus angustifolia, Ailanthus altissima, Tamarix spp. and Nicotiana glauca. There are probably over 100 naturalized exotic herbaceous species, the most successful of which are probably the grasses, e.g. Cynodon dactylon, Sorghum halepense, Polypogon monspeliensis and Bromus spp. Constructive options for restoring functionality to southwestern desert riparian ecosystems are discussed.

Glen Canyon Dam (encyclopedia entry)

by Jared Farmer

The Canadian feasibility study of the Three Gorges Dam proposed for China's Yangzi River: A grave embarrassment to the impact assessment profession.

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 1994.  The Canadian feasibility study of the Three Gorges Dam proposed for China's Yangzi River: A grave embarrassment to the impact assessment profession. Impact Assessment 12(1): 21-57.

Earlier version:
Fearnside, P.M. 1993.  Resettlement Plans for China's Three Gorges Dam. pp. 34-58, 171-173 In: M. Barber and G. Ryder (eds.) Damming the Three Gorges, Second Edition. Probe International/ Earthscan, Toronto, Canada. 183 pp.
http://www.threegorgesprobe.org/pi/documents/three_gorges/Damming3G/ch03.html

China's Three Gorges Dam: "Fatal" project or step toward modernization?

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 1988.  China's Three Gorges Dam: "Fatal" project or step toward modernization? World Development 16(5): 615-630. doi:10.1016/0305-750X(88)90190-8

A Usina Hidrelétrica de Belo Monte em pauta

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. A Usina Hidrelétrica de Belo Monte em pauta. Política Ambiental. No. 7, pp. 4-20. ISSN 1809-8185. [http://www.conservation.org.br/publicacoes/index.php?t=5]

Emissões: Os impactos mais renegados das hidrelétricas.

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. Emissões: Os impactos mais renegados das hidrelétricas. Contra Corrente, No. 3: 27-30.

Belo Monte: Resposta a Rogério Cezar de Cerqueira Leite

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2010. Belo Monte: Resposta a Rogério Cezar de Cerqueira Leite. Site Globoamazonia 07/06/10 http://colunas.globoamazonia.com/philipfearnside/

See Amazon Controversies:
http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/AMAZONIAN CONTROVERSIES.htm

Hidrelétricas amazônicas e a política energética

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. Hidrelétricas amazônicas e a política energética –. Globoamazonia. http://g1.globo.com/platb/natureza-philipfearnside

Will the Belo Monte Dam’s benefits outweigh the costs?

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. Will the Belo Monte Dam’s benefits outweigh the costs? Latin America Energy Advisor, 21-25 Feb. 2011, p. 6.  [http://www.thedialogue.org]

A Usina Hidrelétrica de Belo Monte em pauta

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. A Usina Hidrelétrica de Belo Monte em pauta. Política Ambiental. No. 7, pp. 4-20. ISSN 1809-8185. [http://www.conservation.org.br/publicacoes/index.php?t=5]

Emissões: Os impactos mais renegados das hidrelétricas.

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2011. Emissões: Os impactos mais renegados das hidrelétricas. Contra Corrente, No. 3: 27-30.

Belo Monte: Resposta a Rogério Cezar de Cerqueira Leite

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2010. Belo Monte: Resposta a Rogério Cezar de Cerqueira Leite. Site Globoamazonia 07/06/10 http://colunas.globoamazonia.com/philipfearnside/

See Amazon Controversies:
http://philip.inpa.gov.br/publ_livres/AMAZONIAN CONTROVERSIES.htm

Má Fé em Belo Monte?

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2010. Má Fé em Belo Monte? O Estado de São Paulo 20/04/10 [comentário on line] http://cadastro.estadao.com.br/comentarios?guid=37DEA1D617294CC784FC49E133500D9C&editoria=Economia&produto=economia&titulo_pg=Justi%C3%A7a%20cassa%20liminar%20e%20libera%20leil%C3%A3o%20de%20Belo%20Monte&url_pg=http://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/empresas-e-negocios,justica-cassa-liminar-e-libera-leilao-de-belo-monte--diz-agu,not_14556.htm

China's Three Gorges Dam

by Philip Fearnside

Amazônia: Como o Japão pode ajudar

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 1992. Amazônia: Como o Japão pode ajudar. Terceira Civilização (Soka Gakkai Internacional, São Paulo) Junho 1992, No. 286: 38-40.

Impacto ambiental [das hidrelétricas do rio Madeira]

by Philip Fearnside

Fearnside, P.M. 2007. Impacto ambiental [das hidrelétricas do rio Madeira] Folha de São Paulo Online 21/02/2007 (carta) http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/paineldoleitor/ult3751u282.shtml