Small Decentralized Hydropower Program National ... - Cd3wd.com

la conduction de1 an~lisis de1 impact0 ambiental de
dicho proyecto. El conflicto d’s intereses internos de
la agencia usualmente resultan en una evaluation
inadecuada de 10s impactos ambientales. En 10s
Estado Unidos y otros pa&es desarrollados, este es a
menudo el punto al cual intervienen grupos de
inter-es ambiental, que con frecuencia elegan hasta el
punto de traer el case a litigation. Esto nos lleva al
Cltimo area de problema relativo a la involucracion
ptiblica. Las dificultades con la intervention publica
se relacionan al beneficio de educar a las agencias
gubernamentales respect0 a la utilidad de la interven-
cion publica y en el uso de la opinion y participation
publicas de un modo efectivo. La intervencidn pdblica
se convierte en factor de importancia creciente en el
proceso de formular decisiones para la planificacion y
desarrollo de recursos a medida que las poblaciones
aumentan y muchas de las bases de dichos recursos
disminuyen. En 10s E&ados Unidos, las agencias de1
gobierno solicitan activamente la participation de1
public0 mediante la organization de asambleas
publicas, audiencias publicas y coordinacidn con
grupos de inter& clave especiales que representen
10s intereses comunes de grandes sectores de la
poblacion respect0 a uno o m&s temas.
La intervention publica puede ser muy litil en cir-
cumstancias especiales tales coma cuando virtual-
mente no hay information btisica disponible. Por
ejemplo, utilizando residentes locales en un comite
consejero, se podtia desarrollar una historia de
eventos de recursos naturales - inundaciones,
sepias, plantas y animales endemicos, etc.
Xn lcs pa&es en desarrollo, todas las dificultades
mencionadas estin presentes en un grado u otro.
Donde existen, se hacen m&s complejas por causa de
las redes de menor desarrollo tecnologico para la
vida y el trabajo - distribution de la correspon-
dencia, telefono y otras comunicaciones, transporte,
desarrollo economico, y otras formas de infraestruc-
tura. Esto resulta en mas altos niveles de frustration
y mayores petiodos de demora, en todos 10s
diferentes aspectos.
En el resto de este artkulo voy a enfocar la aten-
cion especificamente en 10s impactos ambientales de
la hidroelectricidad en pequefia escala. Los topicos a
cubrir son: revision de 10s impactos generalizados,
estructura para el analisis, escala de factores,
impactos relativos, tkcnicas, y refereneias de1 estudio.
Impactos Genralizados
Mucha de la informacidn resumida aqti fue
obtenida de publicaciones de1 Departamento de
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Public involvement can be quite useful in
special circumstances such as one in which
there is virtually no base line data available.
Using local residents as an advisory committee,
for example may prove useful in developing a
history of natural resource events - floods,
droughts, endemic plants and animals, etc.
In developing countries all of the above dif-
ficulties are present, to one degree or another.
They are compounded, where they exist, by less
developed technological networks for living and
working - mail delivery, telephone and other
communications, transportation, economic
development, and other forms of infrastructure.
The results are higher levels of frustration and
longer time delays, across the board.
In the remainder of this paper I shall focus
specifically on environmental impacts of small
scale hydropower. The topics to be covered are:
an overview of generalized impacts; a framework
for analysis; scale factor; relative impacts;
techniques; and study references.
Generalized Impacts
Much of the information summarized here was
obtained from publications of the U.S. Dept. of
Energy Small Hydropower Development Program
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National
Hydropower Study. The focus is limited to the
impact of small-scale (less than 1 MW) projects.
The environmental impacts of small scale
hydropower may be separated into those
associated with site development and those
associated with facility operation.
Construction
The most serious site development impacts are
associated with the construction of a dam for
impoundment. The significant overall effect here
is the permanent change of aquatic habitat from
flowing stream to a reservoir and the flooding of
the terrestrial habitat associated with the stream.
This results in changed ecosystems: aquatic in-
sects, invertebrates, vascular plants, algae, and
fish change from those associated with a cool,
swift running stream to those which thrive in a
relatively warm, still lake environment. The dam
also serves as a block for species migrating up
and downstream.
Other construction impacts derive from the
development of a road, however basic, to the site
for the movement of equipment and supplies and
from the generation of noise and dust during
construction. The general effect of these kind of