Many developing countries with large river systems are rushing to build dams for hydroelectric power to stimulate economic development. For example, China completed the Three Gorges Dam, one of the world's largest, on the Yangtze River in 2006 and more recently Ethiopia has announced plans to build the Grand Millennium Dam on the Nile River. There's no question that dams are of economic benefit but on the flip side, they may also have unintended and undesirable costs. If you were in charge of planning the construction of a large dam, what are some of the environmental and cultural costs (other than monetary - please don't discuss economic costs of dams as your primary content) that you would consider undesirable and what would you do to minimize these costs?

When examining the geology of a region for potential useable aquifers, what characteristics, or factors would you consider? Discuss at least three environmental concerns related to groundwater.

Your response should be at least 200 words in length.