Talk:Trinity Dam

Environmentalist perspective
I didn't want to do anything until after Eric finished his class. He introduced an environmentalist perspective to the article that is a biased perspective. The second person writing is amateurish.

TotalFailure (talk) 03:03, 24 December 2016 (UTC) Hello

EricB925 (talk) 01:48, 14 March 2016 (UTC) Hello Wikipedians, I am going to build on this page for my Environmental Studies class at Sac State

Environmental Effects
EricB925 (talk) 02:07, 14 March 2016 (UTC)This section should be beefed up with more environmental impacts other than the effects on the fish populations. Such as the effects of choking the system of oxygen in a natural habitat. With a lower level of oxygen, it would not be able to meet the demands of the fish that require oxygen in the water to survive.

EricB925 (talk) 19:29, 31 March 2016 (UTC) The building of the Dam has created Trinity Lake and the Trinity River flows through the the lake and to the dam, almost all of the 1.2 million acre foot is used elsewhere in California This shows that water that is stored in any reservoir is valuable and is essentially removing it from the natural system. That is a negative aspect to dams in general but specifically this Dam in particular. Also, below the Trinity Dam, is the Lewiston Dam (California) in which that water is sent to other water customers that live throughout the State. This is important because this requires the help of two dams just to move water from the reservoir to the customers that require water for either Agriculture or Urban uses.

EricB925 (talk) 18:26, 24 April 2016 (UTC) Another aspect in which Dams negatively impact the natural ecosystem deals with sediment erosion and sediment deposition. Specifically, the effects dams have on the natural flow of the river such as the natural pulses it has and as well its ability to transfer sediment else where. The fact that the river no longer flows like it used to shows that sediment is backing up. This makes sense because a dam is a large wall blocking the path of the water and sediment. Leaving the natural ecosystem without the benefits of a naturally working cycle of nutrients and water flow.

EricB925 (talk) 20:35, 3 April 2016 (UTC) Just like any national forest, the reservoir of Trinity Lake and. Black Bears and Colombian Blacktail Deer are a few of the most common species of mammals that exist near this dam. These species are iconic for this type of environment and are most likely affected by the creation of the dam. This is also important because it means that even though the environment has been changed since the creation of the dam, most of the mammal species still exist in their natural habitat.

EricB925 (talk) 19:03, 24 April 2016 (UTC) Along with the normal mammal species that inhabit the land, there are of course species that exist in the water since the Trinity Lake exists behind the dam. Related to the environmental aspects of the creation and management of the dam, there had to be some way of lessening our damage on the natural ecosystem of this river system. One of the most commonly used methods are the use of hatcheries to try to sustain a population of fish. Specifically, the Trinity River Hatchery raises and hatches Chinook, Coho Salmon as well as Steelhead Trout for the various runs throughout the year These species are almost iconic in both how they look and what they mean to the natural environment. The combination of the mammal species along with the fish species make up the Trinity Lake region.

Effects on Native People/Towns
EricB925 (talk) 19:56, 3 April 2016 (UTC) The effects of a dam on the Native people are not always published but are well known. Trinity Dam is no different in terms of its effects on the local population that most likely had to adapt in some way to a changing California environment. One negative effect that has the people of the Hoopa Tribe concerned more than anything is the flow of the river and the impact it has on the salmon population. Yes the dam limits the spawning of salmon but it also has negative effects on the Native American Tribe because then they are unable to eat the same foods that they once relied upon. Having a shortened food supply can be disastrous for anyone living on just a few specialized food items.

Hydrology
EricB925 (talk) 21:34, 3 April 2016 (UTC) Hydrology is important for the fully functionality of the Trinity Dam. Nothing is more important than the Trinity River (California) as the life blood for the Reservoir Trinity Lake. The river essentially travels a great distance and is feeding the reservoir with an annual rainfall of 57 inches and is the pathway that the lake receives its water from. This is important because once you understand the hydrology of the region then the construction of the dam will make a lot more sense. As the water enters the system it has to leave eventually and that is where the Lewiston Dam (California) comes into play.

Drought Effects on Dam
EricB925 (talk) 19:28, 3 April 2016 (UTC)The effects of droughts on a dam may seem obvious, such as there is not enough water in the river that feeds the reservoir that the dam holds back. It goes beyond that. The hydrology of any region can be a complicated situation. When a dam releases water for hydropower or any other flood related management, it keeps the water from being able to percolate and recharge the groundwater supplies in the surrounding area of the dam. This is important because it may appear that dams keep a lot of water stored in one place but releasing the water frequently for flood management can take its toll on the hydrology of the region in a negative way.

Benefits of the Dam
EricB925 (talk) 02:29, 14 March 2016 (UTC)This section will hopefully cover the helpful benefits of dams such as this one. Like in terms of controlling the pulse of the water both before and after it passes the dam and other hydrological benefits

EricB925 (talk) 19:26, 24 April 2016 (UTC) One of the most important features that dams provide are how it benefits people. Next to actually holding back water, the next important function is flood control. The storms that pass in winter can fill up a dam and in order to keep farmers and urban residents from drowning, the dam has to be able to release water in a controlled way so that people downstream do not drown from such a hazard. Flood control is an integral part in maintaining the functions of the dam.

Peer Review Comments
Introduction: The article's existing introduction looks fine. You might consider editing it to include some of the topics you are adding to the article. The intro also mentions impacts on salmon. This should be more directly addressed in your sections on environmental impacts and native species. Salmon info is currently spread out though many of your sections.

Topics: Topics look like good additions to the existing article. Again, the salmon info is spread thin among your sections. Maybe make "native people" and "native species" subsections under "environmental impacts." This could be integrated with the existing page's information on salmon.

Native species could also include some information on vegetation, rather than just animals.

Consider adding more information about the surrounding watershed. Was there anything in the area flooded by the dam? What are the soils/ vegetation/ land uses in the area? Does any of this impact water quality? Some of this is covered already in the existing page but it could be expanded.

Tone/word choice: Mostly good. I realize that most of the text isn't ready to be transferred to the main page so it isn't perfect. In some places you lapse into a more conversational tone. E.g.: "Yes the dam limits the spawning of salmon but it also has negative effects on the Native American Tribe because then they are unable to eat the same foods that they once relied upon. Having a shortened food supply can be disastrous for anyone living on just a few specialized food items." could be rephrased to sound more like Wikipedia language, stating facts.

References: Everything looks well referenced. The "British Dams" reference seems strange for dams in CA, but maybe some of the info is useful. It seems like you could get similar info from the bureau of reclamation that is more specific to western dams.

Taylorjones770 (talk) 00:57, 16 April 2016 (UTC)

=Thanks= I would like to thank Taylorjones770 for peer reviewing my wikipedia assignment on the Trinity Dam. His input is valuable to me and that I hope to make the needed changes before the page goes into the main space. I hope to make my assignment stronger in terms of the amount of facts that I say. I would like to thank him for his time and valuable review of my first draft so far. EricB925 (talk) 17:58, 24 April 2016 (UTC)