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Forwarded message:
From dianne Mon Dec 6 16:26:47 1999
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 16:26:46 -0500 (EST)
From: "D. Murray" <dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>
Message-Id: <199912062126.QAA02522@lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca>
X-URL: http://www2.privatei.com/~uscold/educ0499.html
To: dianne@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca
Subject: educ0499.html
PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE
_________________________________________________________________
Education: a key
to acceptance
Education is the key to improving public awareness,
and maybe greater acceptance, of dams worldwide.
Ron Corso from the US Committee on Large Dams
gave Suzanne Moxon his views on the subject.
Six years ago the US Committee on Large Dams (USCOLD) changed the name
of its public relations (PR) committee.'It became clear that we were
never in the PR business and that our main goal is education,' Ron
Corso, chairman of the renamed Committee on Public Awareness (COPA)
says.'We wanted the name of the committee to reflect our basic goal
and searched for something to fit this. We chose public awareness in
the end, as this, through education, is the key to making more people
aware of the issues related to darns. Education is the best approach.'
When asked why such a committee is needed, Corso explains that there
is growing awareness of environmental concerns worldwide and a great
deal of information in the public arena is anti- dams.'Our aim is to
let people know who USCOLD is and that our purpose is to give a
balanced view of dams. Engineers really have a simplistic view of
life,' he added.'They assume that as they are doing something good for
society, like building dams, then everyone will embrace it. Bur,
realistically, if we sit back and assume that people will get
information on their own, and learn about the benefits of darns, there
is a good chance that the public will not hear the whole story.
'We, therefore, need to be more pro-active,' he explained.'In the past
we were just reacting to the information put out by other
organizations and environmental groups. We merely filled in the gaps.
But now we need to provide people with a more balanced view of dams.'
Corso says that dam opponents have seized the agenda in recent years.
The US public's perception of dams and hydro power is 'not too
good'.'Even the US Congress has had difficulty in recognizing hydro as
a renewable energy resource. At the same time the Secretary of the
Interior, Bruce Babbitt, is making a public display of tearing down
dams,' COPA's chairman commented.'Such events can not help but affect
public opinions.'
To illustrate the point that COPA wants to give a balanced view of US
dams, Corso acknowledges that in some cases it is necessary to tear
down dams if they are unsafe or no longer useful. But, he added, the
dams Secretary Babbitt has been targeting are small structures.
Removing these small structures will not adversely affect local power
supplies, river navigation, flood control or irrigation, as would the
removal of larger structures.
'There is a growing sense of need in the water resources industry to
get more balanced information out into the public arena,' said Corso.
'The anti-dam movement has drawn a lot of attention to very narrow
issues but has never given a broader view of the subject. We need to
focus the issues and make sure that the debate is not tilting one way
or the other. We desperately need rational and legitimate discussion
on water resources.'
Initiatives
Historically the subject of dams has been viewed as a PR problem, not
a public education issue. Over time it has been recognized that
education is needed much more than a PR campaign. It is only through
education that people can make their own informed decisions about
dams. In recognition of this, at ICOLD's annual conference in 1998
ICOLD also changed the name of its Committee on Public Relations, to a
Committee on Public Awareness.'We are all in agreement now,' Corso
said.'There is consistency in our belief that we need to embark on
improving public awareness.'
COPA is working hard to improve awareness in areas of the industry
that it feels has been neglected in the US. Little attention has been
given to questions such as: why are dams built; what are their
purpose; what are their benefits to society; and how do they fit into
the infrastructure of the US! To rectify this COPA has embarked on
several initiatives. USCOLD is now in the process of developing its
own video production on dams as an educational tool to help people
understand why dams are built and their benefits to society. Other
activities include:
* Taking part in a national TV programme which will be broadcast in
the US on public television networks. COPA provides technical
advice and information about the benefits of dams.
* Distributing a slide presentation to any interested party who
wants to know about why darns are built.
* Providing facts, via the USCOLD newsletter, that members can use
in every day life when talking to the public. The idea is to give
more information about what dams are used for. For example, a
Wisconsin dam was modified to control water discharges downstream
so the US Olympic Kayak team could use the river for training.'We
have to push simple facts like this really hard so that people can
relate to dams,' Corso explains.'A lot of people live by a
reservoir and are not even aware that there is a dam there too.'
* The USCOLD Website also has information about the benefits of
dams.
COPA is made up of ten USCOLD members from different fields -- US Army
Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, electric utilities and consultancies. This provides
input from a lot of different sources. Commenting on the work they do,
Corso says that COPA tries to talk to the media as much as possible.
Inaccurate information about dams is corrected with letters and
articles which, more often than not, are also published.'We try to
respond aggressively to any inaccurate information,' he said.
COPA's goal is not to create an atmosphere of confrontation but to
seek better public understanding of both sides of the dams
issue.'Anything that is built by humans will have an effect on the
environment,' Corso acknowledges,'but the benefits to society as a
whole have to be weighed against these impacts.
'We want to start educating young people,' he added,'and to provide
them with the information to make up their own minds. We recognize
that some people will have negative views about dams. We just want to
ensure that all the facts are there. We also need to educate people at
all levels, particularly the public at large and politicians. Too many
people have forgotten about drought years, floods, and the many
benefits made possible with the development of dams. Education
includes reminding everyone.
Commenting on the debate about the impact of dams worldwide, Corso
said: 'The balanced view is that dams are important to improve the
human condition and to sustain a better standard of living for most
people. In the US, for example, we forget that there are people in the
world who do not have the same opportunities as we do. They may not
have clean drinking water, an adequate food supply, job opportunities,
or the power to make all the basics in life possible. It is in this
context we want to present information about dams so that individuals
can make their own balanced decisions about their usefulness to
society as a whole.'
Published in International Water Power and Dam Construction, April
1999.
For more details contact Janet Wood, the editor, email:
waterpower@wilmington.co.uk or tel: +44 1322 277788
_________________________________________________________________
USCOLD Return to USCOLD Home Page
Please send any comments to Ron Spath (rspath@iamdigex.net)
or Larry Stephens (stephens@uscold.org)
Last revised May 25, 1999
_________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 1999 by USCOLD