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Researchers Say Hydropower Not Carbon Neutral

Researchers at Washington State University are reporting that reservoirs created by dams are significant sources of methane because of decomposing organic material lying underwater.

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Trees that were once mostly submerged are now high and dry in the southwestern portion of O.H. Ivie Reservoir southeast of Ballinger Texas. The reservoir is less than 30 percent full, as of April 20 2011.
Credit: Robert W. Hart

Researchers at Washington State University are reporting that reservoirs created by dams are significant sources of methane — a greenhouse gas — because of decomposing organic material lying underwater. Thus, hydropower dams, thought to be clean sources of power, are actually sources of carbon pollution, although they are still far cleaner than fossil fuels. (The Daily World)

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