Havent dam managers always considered ecological health in their operations?
No. Until now, dams have been designed to supply water (primarily for irrigation and municipal uses), control floods, generate electricity, and create reservoirs for recreation. The goal of minimizing ecological impacts has seldom been taken seriously. The Nature Conservancy has developed a scientific approach to quantifying the water flows and other habitat conditions needed to support ecological health and can help dam builders and managers integrate this information into dam design and operations.
