As experts and scholars of water resource and environmental science and planning, we are writing to express our deep concern about the proposed Meinung Dam.

Large-scale dam projects are now recognized widely as an environmentally and economically costly way of water resource management, flood control and power generation. Beyond the immediate ecological impacts, large dams often raise questions of economic rationality, technical design and development policy. We have learned from the existing research that the proposed Meinung Dam contains numerous flaws in terms of technical design, projection of economic benefit, planning process, and concerns for sustainability and environmental justice.

The main concerns include (1) geological unsuitability, (2) safety threats to nearby residents, (3) violation of environmental justice and threat to cultural heritage, (4) species extinction and biodiversity loss, (5) threats to regional water quality and groundwater recharge, (6) short life span of dam and disproportional cost, (7) over-estimate of water demand, (8) lack of assessment for alternatives to dam, (9) increased heavy industrial development and CO2 emission, (10) inadequate environmental impact assessment, and (11) local and regional opposition.

There are alternatives to the construction of dam in addressing the problems of water demand and water resource management. The alternatives currently proposed by the local governments in southern Taiwan, including groundwater recharge, water conservation measures and installation of sewage treatment plants, are viable alternatives to the costly construction of the dam to improve quantity and quality of water supply. We urge you to consider these alternatives. Taiwan with its economic resources and technical capacity can do better to promote a more sustainable way of water resource management and economic development. The long-term environmental, social and economic cost of Meinung Dam outweighs its short-term economic benefit. The building of Meinung Dam is a wrong direction for Taiwan.

As the decision for the construction of the dam approaches, we strongly urge you to re-evaluate the widely publicized problems associated with the Meinung Dam and seriously consider its alternatives.

Signed,

Barbara Butler
Project Director
SAVE International (A Project of Earth Island Institute)

Li-Yang Chang, Ph.D., REA
Chemical/Environmental Engineer
Environmental Management Program
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Jen-Yih Chu, MD,PhD
Professor of Pediatrics
St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104

Gershon Cohen
Project Director
Campaign to Safeguard America's Waters

Thomas D. Dahmer
Wildlife Biologist
Ecosystems Ltd.

Janice A. Dean
The Brower Fund
Earth Island Institute

Dr Peter Downs
Professor
School of Geography
University of Nottingham

Jan Eiesland
Executive Committee
SAVE International (A Project of Earth Island Institute)

Mary Felley
Senior Consultant
Ecosystems Ltd., Hong Kong

Peter Fugazzotto
Associate Director
Sea Turtle Restoration Project

Randolph T. Hester
Professor and former Chair
Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
University of California at Berkeley

Felix T. Hong, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Physiology
Wayne State University School of Medicine

Jeff Hou
Research Coordinator
Taiwan Environmental Action Network

Keelung Hong
Senior Researcher
California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute

Frank S.T. Hsiao
Professor of Economics
Department of Economics
University of Colorado

Chung-Yee Hsu
Professor, Department of Neurology
School of Medicine, Washington University

Catherine Huang
Senior Engineer
Hoshin Engineering Consultants Corp.

Sunkwei Huang
Associate Professor
Baylor College of Medicine

Hwan C. Lin, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Economics
Economics Department, Belk College of Business Administration
University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Eli Ilano
Executive Committee
SAVE International (Project of Earth Island Institute)

Yi-liang Kao
Landscape architect
Orsee Design Associates

John A. Knox
Executive Director
Earth Island Institute

G. Mathias Kondolf. Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Environmental Planning and Geography
University of California at Berkeley

Ashish Kothari
Founder-member
Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group

Tun-Hou Lee
Professor of Virology
Harvard University

Hanbin Liang, Ph.D., P.E.
President
Wreco Engineering Associates

Echo J. H. Lin
Director
Formosan Association for Public Affairs

Tze-Luen Lin
Research Associate
Center for Energy and Environmental Policy

Wunan Lin, Ph.D.
Technical Area Leader
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Patrick McCully
Executive Director
International Rivers Network

Marcia J. McNally
Partner, Community Development by Design
Farrand Fellow of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
University of California Berkeley

Eva Owens
Marine Biologist

Doris Shen
China Program
International Rivers Network

Wenling Tu
Secretary General
Taiwan Environmental Action Network

Jake H. Tung
Senior Civil (Water Resources) Engineer
U.S. Department of Energy

B-Chen Wen
Professor
University of Iowa

Dr.Philip Williams
President
International Rivers Network

Shi-Kuei Wu
Professor of Natural History
University of Colorado at Boulder
Campus Box 315, Boulder, CO 90309

Tsai-Feng Wu, Ph.D.
Clinical Scientist
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara

Chih-Ping Yeh
Associate Professor
College of Engineering,
Wayne State University

Kao-San Yeh
Associate Research Scientist
Environment Canada

---