After the July 2 floods many people advocated not repairing the power stations, which were inundated, at all. Others, considering the instability of the local geology and fears of future landslides, suggest tearing down the dams and removing the generating plants, giving the river a chance to recover. But the Ministry of Economic Affairs is adamant that it will not close the power plants. Environmental scholars question this stance.
近年大甲溪沿岸發電廠因河川淤積發電效能大減，七二水災後不少人士倡議不必修復，或考量地質鬆軟，日後恐有崩壩之虞，建議拆除水壩、廢電廠，還河生機，但是經濟部立場堅定，認為廢電廠不可能，也引起環保學者的質疑。