Many Western engineers were itching to get started, but ecologists were not so sanguine.
兩大目標之外，水庫會使水流減緩，使三峽船隻在洪水期通行無阻，增加可航天數和萬噸貨輪通行；並附帶有發展養殖及旅遊業的功能。遠景描繪起來歷歷可觀，許多歐美的工程專家也躍躍欲試，但各國環境生態學者，對這個巨無「壩」將帶來的，卻沒這麼樂觀。