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<br /> <br />Diversion dam on the Colorado River near Blythe, California <br /> <br /> <br />The R,jo Grande above Mesilfa Dam near Las Cruces, New Mexico <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />in terms of long-range <br />environmental and social <br />costs. Instead of building new <br />dams. we are now spending a <br />lot of time. energy. and <br />money examining the effects <br />of existing ones. The ques- <br />tion now relevant to dams in <br />the United States is not <br />"Should we build another <br />one?" but "How can we best <br />use the ones we have?" <br />Historically. our society <br />has always found it easier to <br />build than destroy a dam. <br />Driven by the memory of a <br />simpler time and an unfet. <br />tered river. some people are <br />fond of contemplating the <br />elimination of certain dams. <br />In a few instances. the <br />environmental costs of an <br />old dam are deemed so <br />great that the dam's removal <br />is conceivably warranted. <br />Examples include the <br />Edwards Dam on the <br />Kennebec River in Maine. <br />the Elwha and Clines <br />Canyon Dam in Olympic <br />National Park, and Hetch <br />Hetchy Dam within <br />Yosemite National Park in <br />California. But by and large. <br />this is rarely a realistic <br />option. <br />Once a dam has been <br />built. we reap its benefits <br />and learn to live with the <br />environmental effects. The <br />real question then be. <br />comes: can a dam be <br />operated so as to maximize <br />its benefits and minimize its <br />costs? The exciting answer <br />is "maybe." The ground <br />