Allan, I could agree with dams that have just raised the water levels. But dams that manage the flow of water and levels of lakes over the seasons - I detest how they impoverish the nature there.
I used to have a cottage in the Haliburton area, and it took a few years of getting used to the area before I realized the somewhat barren shore lines of our lake - in contrast to a swamp that was off the lake and accessible by portage. There, there were herons nests, frogs, liliy pads, sundew, pitcher plants and all those things that make you feel that the nature beside you is intact. And it dawned on me that the annual pattern of filling the lake to its brim in spring, gradually releasing it during summer and then taking out the last boom made it difficult for some of the key species to thrive. And it was a lousy four feet of difference in water level....
I might feel different if I was a play-boater - they appreciate what a managed water flow can do for them. The Madawaska is probably the best example - a steady water flow when you need it.
As someone who thinks nature should come first and manipulation second, I'd rather that they leave the water courses in their natural state, even if it means that a certain section is difficult to get to.
Can't think of many water courses that I could not paddle without the help of human dams: are you thinking of Lake Meade, by chance?
