Erosion Rates
By definition, erosion is the movement of particles, or the movement of particles off of the earth's surface due to different things like water, wind, etc. There will be increased amount of erosion above the dam because of the increased amount of water in that area, eroding more land and rock. Also, all of the particles being carried down the stream will be caught by the dam because it can no longer just run down the length of the river, and will quickly build up in size. Therefore, teams must periodically go under the water in front of a dam and clear all of the debris and eroded particles from the water to make sure that the dam does not clog up and jam. The picture above shows a segment of river just upstream of a dam where debris and particles built up overtime to create another blockage of the water.