Producing electricity in a hydroelectric power plant and a natural gas power plant involves fundamentally different processes, and the statements you provided highlight some concepts that need clarification:
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The water will continuously remove the pollutants produced during energy production: This statement is misleading. While hydroelectric power plants generate electricity without producing air pollutants like carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides (common in fossil fuel plants), they can have ecological impacts on waterways. In contrast, natural gas power plants produce emissions during combustion, but they usually have pollutants filtered out or minimized through technology.
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Hydroelectric power plants can be constructed far from the source of water: This is generally not true. Hydroelectric power plants need a water source (like a river or dam) to generate electricity, so they must be sited close to water bodies.
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Hydroelectric power plants can only be constructed at high altitudes: This is also misleading. While some hydroelectric plants utilize elevation changes (like mountain streams) to create potential energy, others can be built on flat land as long as they have access to flowing water.
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The water will continuously be replaced as a result of the water cycle: This statement is somewhat accurate in the sense that water bodies are part of the larger hydrological cycle, which includes processes like evaporation and precipitation. However, this does not directly pertain to the mechanisms of electricity generation in hydroelectric plants versus natural gas plants.
In summary, hydroelectric power predominantly utilizes the kinetic and potential energy of flowing water to turn turbines, while natural gas plants burn gas to create steam, which drives turbines. Each method has its own environmental impacts and requirements for resource availability.