Once the dam is completed, however, the water level will rise hundreds of feet, and the Three Gorges will be no more. It will desecrate some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on the planet, and drown literally thousands of archaeological and cultural sites. No funds have been provided in China for research into this issue. It is argued as well that pollution and slow-moving water could threaten fish, reptiles, and other wildlife that depend on the river for their survival. Chinese scientists are studying the endangered river dolphins of the Yangtze, but there is little funding for research on other animal species in the river.
Sedimentation is another concern.
Without the scouring action of the free-flowing river, millions of tons of river silt and cobbles could wash down and be trapped against the dam, poisoning its workings. These are all irreversible environmental damages that may wreak havoc in a valley which has survived for millions of years. The most serious objection to the dam, however, is that it there is the threat of a catastrophic breach in the dam's wall. A quick look at China's past history with regard to dams should be instructive. In the early 1950's, the Chinese government began building a network of 62 dams along the Yangtze.