The four chapters in Part 2 focus on managing rivers for instream uses, including navigation, hydropower, fishing, recreation, flood management, and waste disposal. Our goal is to understand how people modify rivers for various purposes, what the ecological and social consequences of those modifications are, and how to better use rivers to satisfy economic, social, and ecological goals. Dams figure prominently in Part 2, since they are a central component of many instream uses but can also be highly damaging to rivers and communities.
Chapter 6 introduces us to navigation, hydropower, fishing. and recreation, examining the historical development of these uses and analyzing the pros and cons of each. Chapter 7 covers flood management from ancient times to the present, with a focus on understanding the shortcomings of structural flood control and the benefits of alternative ways to reduce flood risk. Chapter 8 addresses the use of rivers for waste disposal and how we can protect water quality using the Clean Water Act. Chapter 9 looks in some detail at dams (and aqueducts): How many have we built? How are they managed? What are their social and ecological impacts? Should we build more? Can we successfully restore rivers by removing dams?