Low-Head Dams

This low-head dam is located in Waverly, Iowa. In the picture you can see how the dam diverts the amount of water flowing down the river.

• What are the benefits of having dams in place? 

• What possible negative effects could dams have on the ecosystems around them?
• How do dams prevent weather-related hazards like floods?
• What could be other ways we could prevent weather-related hazards?

Students could:

• Research the purpose of dams.
• Brainstorm the considerations engineers must make when designing a dam.

• Civil Engineering Blog: Types of Dams: This article focused on the different parts of dam and how they work.
• USGS | Hydroelectric Power: How it Works: This article talks about how we pull energy from dams like the one in the photo. 
• Association of State Dam Safety Officials | Dams 101 for Kids: This link provides information on safety around human dams as well as kid friendly activities, videos, and readings.
• PBS LearningMedia | ScienceTrek: Dams: Humans first built dams for irrigation. Now we use dams for many more uses. We use them to generate electricity, for flood control, for recreation and to bank water for later use. Scientists play an important role in building dams and dealing with their environmental impacts.