hydroelectric dams although hydroelectric power is admittedly one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly sources of energy it too has the capability to alter or damage its surroundings among the main problems that have been demonstrated by hydroelectric power is significant change in water quality because of the nature of hydroelectric systems the water often takes on a higher temperature loses oxygen content experiences siltation and gains in phosphorus and nitrogen content man has utilized the power of water for years much of the growth of early colonial american industry can be attributed to hydropower because fuel such as coal and wood were not readily available to inland cities american settlers were forced to turn to other alternatives falling water was ideal for powering sawmills and grist mills as coal became a better developed source of fuel however the importance of hydropower decreased when canals began to be built off of the mississippi river inland cities became linked to mainstream commerce this opened the flow of coal to most areas of america dealing the final blow to hydropower in early america water power really didn't stage a major comeback until the th century the development of an electric generator helped increase hydropower's importance in the mid th century as americans began to move out of the cities and into suburbia the demand for electricity increased as did the role of hydroelectricity hydroelectric power plants were built near large cities to supplement power production disadvantages smaller models depend on availability of fast flowing streams or rivers run of the river plants can impact the mobility of fish and other riverlife note building a fish ladder can lessen this negative aspect of hydroelectric power hydropower had some help from the federal government in being established in america the tennessee valley authority tva was implemented during the great depression of the s the program was designed to correct several problems in the tennessee river basin these problems included frequent floods erosion and deforestation the tva provided for the building of several hydroelectric dams not only were the dams successful in controlling the flooding they also provide electricity to the region the tva is an example of successful implementation of hydroelectric power there are many different ways in which the abundance of energy around us can be stored converted and amplified for our use to help you understand the key energy sources that will play an important role in the world's future we have designed a number of pages to familiarize you with some of the history theory economics and problems of the various types of energy the energy sources have been split into three categories fossil fuels renewable sources and nuclear sources the fossil fuels covered here are coal petroleum and natural gas the renewable energy sources are solar wind hydroelectric biomass and geothermal power the nuclear powered sources are fission and fusion if you want answers write back to me to my email at jnaasz cool u hotmail com