A series of beaver dams in the body of water abutting Stowe’s Memorial Park illustrates that contractors aren’t the only ones who have been contributing to increased residential development in
impact. now, you know, washington state gets about 75% of its electricity from dams. however, dam has become a four-letter word here because environmental groups have been very strong in opposing them and getting some of them torn down. but this mini hydro dam which i m standing on here will general mate electricity for thousands of homes generate electricity with little impact to the environment. the key is size and location on small rivers and creeks minimizing the impact on fish, mainly salmon, and that makes it truly green-powered. no carbon emissions, and here in the pacific northwest, of course, water is everywhere. it s a local resource, it s renewable, and, um, collectively if you do a number of these projects, it might add up to a good part of our energy needs. reporter: and the good news is that building a small dam, one of these micro dams, is actually cheaper, and you get more energy for the buck than you get in wind or solar power.