A fast-growing town requires a new source of power. Because the town is located by a fast-flowing river, the town council votes to construct a hydroelectric power plant. This requires a dam to be built. How might this activity affect the local watershed?

The hydroelectric plant will likely flood the area behind the dam that is constructed.
The hydroelectric plant will likely pollute the water flowing down the waterfall.
The hydroelectric plant will likely pollute the air above the waterfall, leading to acid rain.
The hydroelectric plant will likely quit operating in the summer when the river dries up.

Hydropower dams degrade water quality along rivers. Water that flows downstream from the dams is depleted of oxygen, which harms many aquatic animals. The reservoirs above dams are susceptible to harmful algal blooms, and can leach toxic metals such as mercury from submerged soil

Explanation:

ow does the building of a dam affect the environment?

Flooding and the destruction of surrounding habitat: Dammed rivers create a reservoir upstream from the dam, which spills out into the surrounding environments and floods ecosystems and habitats that once existed there. Such flooding can kill or displace many different organisms, including plants, wildlife, and humans.