NCW Libraries

Whether it's a beaver dam or the Hoover Dam, all dams rely on science to function properly. People first began damming rivers to stop flooding and provide water for irrigation. These early dams were made with simple techniques and technology. Today, dams are constructed to prevent flooding and to provide water for irrigation, hydroelectric power, and freshwater for large populations. Modern advances in dam technology would have never happened if it...

During the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the whole messy truth about the legacy of last century's big dam building binge has come to light. What started out as an arguably good government project has drifted oceans away from that original virtuous intent. Governments plugged the nation's rivers in a misguided attempt to turn them into revenue streams. Water control projects' main legacy will be one of needless ecological destruction,...

The documentary follows the aquatic journey of Christopher Swain, who decided to swim 1,243 miles from the Canadian headwaters of the Columbia to the Pacific Ocean, in order to raise awareness of the river's polluted, degraded condition. Director Andy Norris filmed interviews with scientists, Native American leaders and others who speak convincingly of the need to restore the Columbia to a more pristine state. This means eliminating at least some...