An article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer discusses how the era of building massive dams that ended in the late 1960s with the completion of Glen Canyon Dam may be on its way to a resurgence because of booming populations throughout the west and a desperate need for water. This comes at a time when the USBR and other agencies are in the process of tearing down some dams. Of course the environmental hurdles and opposition to new dam projects will likely kill many of the projects before they get started. But in the absence of any kind of limits on population growth, there may not be many other options. Read on to see where major dam projects are being considered. (Photo by Molas)

The main focus of the article is on a proposed plan by the Governor of Washington State that calls for studying the feasibility of large scale dams in addition to other more environmental friendly options such as small scale dams,  desalination plants, pipelines from the mountains, and water storage in underground aquifers.

Also discussed in the article are some other locations throughout the Western US where large dams are being considered:

• Yakima River Basin in Washington (Black Rock Dam - projected cost would be$6.7 Billion)
• Four major water storage projects in California, including a dam on the San Joaquin River
• An additional reservoir to capture more Colorado River water in the Las Vegas area
• Two new reservoirs in Colorado on the Yampa River
• Rebuilding the famous Teton Dam in Idaho that failed in 1976
  

Related Items:

• 0 Million Settlement in Reservoir Failure
• 54 Dams Slated for Removal in 2007
• ADAMA Software Updates - MSEW and ReSSA
• ASDSO Releases Simplified Risk Categorization Tool for Dams
• CNN Highlights Dams in Danger

• Bureau of Reclamation

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