Aswan High Dam

Vital Statistics:
Location: Aswan, Egypt
Completion Date: 1970
Cost: $1 billion
Reservoir Capacity: 5.97 trillion cubic
feet
Type: Embankment
Purpose: Floo control, !yroelectric
power, irrigation
Reservoir: "ake #asser
Materials: $ock, clay
ngineer!s": planne by a team of %ritis! engineers& built by a
team of 'o(iet engineers
)n t!e mile of t!e ari Egyptian esert lies one of t!e largest
em#an$ment %ams in t!e worl. )t is calle t!e Aswan *ig! +am,
or 'aa el Aali in Arabic, an it captures t!e mig!ty #ile $i(er in
t!e worl,s t!ir largest reser(oir, "ake #asser. %efore t!e am
was built, t!e #ile $i(er o(erflowe its banks once a year an
eposite four million tons of nutrient-ric! silt on t!e (alley floor,
making Egypt,s ot!erwise ry lan proucti(e an fertile. %ut
t!ere were some years w!en t!e ri(er i not rise at all, causing
wiesprea roug!t an famine. )n 195., Egyptian presient
/amal Abal-#asser plege to control !is country,s annual floo
wit! a giant new am across t!e #ile $i(er. *is plan worke.
0!e Aswan *ig! +am captures floowater
uring rainy seasons an releases t!e water
uring times of roug!t. 0!e am also
generates enormous amounts of electric
power -- more t!an 10 billion kilowatt-!ours
e(ery year. 0!at,s enoug! electricity to
power one million color tele(isions for .0
years1
2nfortunately, t!e am !as also prouce se(eral negati(e sie
effects. )n orer to buil t!e am, 90,000 Egyptian peasants !a
to mo(e. 0o make matters worse, t!e ric! silt t!at normally
fertili3e t!e ry esert lan uring annual floos is now stuck at
t!e bottom of "ake #asser1 Farmers !a(e been force to use
about one million tons of artificial fertili3er as a substitute for
natural nutrients t!at once fertili3e t!e ari flooplain.
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5

.
Aswan *ig! +am
5.97 trillion cubic feet
&ast &acts:
About 95 percent of Egypt,s population li(es wit!in 1.
miles of t!e #ile $i(er.
'ince t!e am was complete in 1970, t!e fertility of
Egypt,s farmlan !as graually ecrease. 0oay, more
t!an !alf of Egypt,s soil is rate meium to poor.
Enoug! rock was use in t!e construction of t!e Aswan
*ig! +am to buil 17 /reat 6yramis at /i3a, one of t!e
'e(en 7oners of t!e Ancient 7orl.

%war%s Dam
Vital Statistics:
Location: Augusta, 8aine, 2'A
Completion Date: 19:7
Reservoir Capacity: 7;0 million cubic
feet
Type: Embankment 4timber crib5
Purpose: *yroelectric power
Misc: remo(e 1999
Materials: 0imber, rock, concrete
ngineer!s": <ennebec +am =ompany
>n t!e morning of ?uly 1, 1999, t!ousans of people line t!e
banks of t!e <ennebec $i(er in Augusta, 8aine, to watc! workers
punc! a !ole in t!e Ewars +am. 7ater began trickling t!roug!
t!e !ole, an wit!in minutes, a raging torrent gus!e past t!e
915-foot-long, .0-foot-tall wall of rock, log, an concrete. =rows
c!eere as t!e <ennebec $i(er flowe freely past t!e Ewars

.
+am out to t!e Atlantic >cean for t!e first time in more t!an 1@0
years.
0!e Ewars +am was t!e first
!yroelectric am in t!e country
remo(e by t!e feeral go(ernment
for en(ironmental reasons. )t was built
in 19:7 to supply power to mills along
t!e ri(er,s banks. %ut by t!e mi-
1990s, t!e ol am was generating only
:.5 megawatts of electricity in 1990 --
an amount eAual to .1 percent of 8aine,s annual energy usage.
E(en before t!e am was built, en(ironmentalists argue t!at a
am on t!e <ennebec woul block salmon, s!a, !erring, an ot!er
fis! from reac!ing t!eir spawning grouns upstream. 0!ey were
rig!t. 'oon after t!e am was built, t!ese fis! all but isappeare
from t!e ri(er.
For t!e first time in !istory, t!e feeral go(ernment ecie t!at
t!e amage t!e Ewars +am cause far outweig!e its benefits.
0!e am was remo(e against t!e owner,s will at a cost of $7.:
million.
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5
Ewars +am
7;0 million cubic feet
&ast &acts:
'ince t!e am was remo(e in 1999, more t!an two million
alewi(es, stripe bass, s!a, sturgeon, an Atlantic
salmon !a(e returne to t!e <ennebec $i(er.
*unres of logs !a(e been sal(age from t!e bottom of
t!e am an are being recycle into furniture, musical
instruments, an ot!er proucts.
0!e remo(al of t!e Ewars +am !as sparke t!e
remo(al of ot!er ri(er-amaging ams across t!e country.
'ince t!e am,s remo(al, .5 small ams !a(e been
remo(e in t!e 2nite 'tates. At least 19 more will be
remo(e by t!e en of .000.
.

&olsom Dam
Vital Statistics:
Location: Folsom, =alifornia, 2'A
Completion Date: 195@
Cost: $91.5 million
Reservoir Capacity: ;:.9 billion cubic
feet
Type: /ra(ity
Purpose: *yroelectric power,
irrigation, recreation
Reservoir: Folsom "ake
Materials: =oncrete
ngineer!s": 2.'. Army =orps of Engineers
>n ?uly 17, 1995, a spillway gate on t!e Folsom +am broke open as
it was being raise, causing an uncontrolle fi(e-story cascae to
gus! own t!e face of t!e am. #early ;0 percent of Folsom "ake
raine out past t!e broken gate before it coul be repaire.
#ormally, w!en a reser(oir becomes too full -- like after a !ea(y
rainstorm -- engineers open spillway gates, w!ic! allow t!e eBcess
water to rain out of t!e reser(oir at a controlle rate of spee.
7!en t!ese gates open suenly an engineers lose t!e ability to
control t!e flow, isaster can result.
"uckily, no maCor flooing occurre as
a result of t!e failure, an t!e Folsom
+am was fully repaire at a cost of
$.0 million. After a year of t!oroug!
in(estigation, t!e 2nite 'tates
%ureau of $eclamation blame t!e
isaster on a esign flaw. 'ome
spillway gates, like t!e ones at Folsom
+am, roll up an own on giant brass an steel pins, like a big
garage oor. As t!e gate opens an closes, t!e pins can become
!ot wit! friction. Friction reuce t!e strengt! of t!e pins in t!e
Folsom +am spillway gate an cause t!e gate to break.
0oay, engineers traine in rope-climbing tec!niAues can inspect
t!ese ifficult-to-reac! spillway gates an !elp pre(ent similar
isasters from !appening.
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5

.
&ast &acts:
7!en t!e spillway gate
broke, more t!an ;0,000
cubic feet per secon of
water gus!e t!roug! t!e
am.
'o muc! fres!water poure
into t!e 'an Francisco %ay
w!en t!e am burst t!at
salmon an stripe bass
were foole into t!inking
t!at fall !a arri(e. 0!e
fis! began t!eir annual fall
migrations way a!ea of
sc!eule.
0!e Folsom +am came close
to flooing !alf a million
people in 199@, w!en
engineers were force to
open t!e spillway gates
after !ea(y rains.

'ran% Coulee Dam

Vital Statistics:
Location: /ran =oulee, 7as!ington,
2'A
Completion Date: 19;.
Cost: $:00 million
Reservoir Capacity: ;.1 billion cubic
feet
Type: /ra(ity
Purpose: Floo control, !yroelectric
power, irrigation
Reservoir: Franklin +. $oose(elt "ake
Materials: =oncrete
ngineer!s": %ureau of $eclamation
0!e /ran =oulee +am, locate on t!e =olumbia $i(er in central
7as!ington, is t!e largest single proucer of electricity in t!e
2nite 'tates. 8ae from 1. million cubic yars of concrete, t!e
/ran =oulee +am is also one of t!e largest concrete structures in
t!e worl. %ut engineers were confronte wit! a uniAue problem
w!en builing suc! a massi(e concrete am.
7!en concrete is mae, it prouces a
c!emical reaction t!at gi(es off !eat. As
concrete cools, it graually s!rinks. )f t!e
s!rinkage is not controlle, cracks can form
-- an cracks are isastrous in ams. 0!e
solutionD Engineers pumpe col water
t!roug! an intricate network of pipes in t!e
concrete to !elp cool t!e concrete as it
!arene. )t,s a goo t!ing t!ey i t!is,
because it woul !a(e taken .00 years for
t!e concrete to cool naturally, an many cracks woul !a(e
forme1
0!e /ran =oulee +am is t!e largest proucer of !yroelectric
power in t!e 2nite 'tates an t!e t!ir largest !yroelectric
facility in t!e worl. 7it! its .9 generators proucing up to
.:,9@0,9;;,;@9 kilowatt-!ours annually, it is t!e primary source
of electric power to states in t!e #ort!west.
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5
/ran =oulee +am
;.1 billion cubic feet
.
.
&ast &acts:
0!e base of t!e /ran =oulee +am is almost four times as
large as t!e base of t!e /reat 6yrami of /i3a.
)f all of t!e pipes use to cool t!e cement in t!e /ran
=oulee +am were lai en to en, t!ey woul stretc! from
#ew Eork =ity to t!e /ran =anyon1
0!ere is enoug! concrete in t!e /ran =oulee +am to
buil a !ig!way across t!e 2nite 'tates.

Hoover Dam
Vital Statistics:
Location: Ari3ona an #e(aa, 2'A
Completion Date: 19:@
Cost: $1@5 million
Reservoir Capacity: 1..; trillion cubic feet
Type: /ra(ity
Purpose: *yroelectric power
Reservoir: "ake 8ea
Materials: =oncrete
ngineer!s": %ureau of $eclamation
)n 19:1, uring t!e !eig!t of t!e +epression, t!ousans of
American workers came to t!e %lack =anyon on t!e Ari3ona-
#e(aa borer to tame t!e =olorao $i(er. 0!ey began
construction on w!at woul be t!e largest am of its time -- t!e
*oo(er +am.
%ut before t!e am coul be built,
workers !a to i(ert t!e wil
=olorao $i(er away from t!e
construction site. *ow i t!ey o
t!isD 0!ey blaste tunnels -- as big as
four-lane !ig!ways -- rig!t t!roug!
t!e canyon walls. For t!e neBt fi(e
years, t!e =olorao $i(er gus!e
t!roug! t!ese i(ersion tunnels w!ile 9,000 workers toile in t!e
!ars!, ry canyon bottom. Ama3ingly, t!ey complete t!e am in

.
less t!an fi(e years -- a!ea of sc!eule an uner buget. 0!e *oo(er +am is a cur(e gravity %am. "ake 8ea pus!es
against t!e am, creating compressive (orces t!at tra(el along
t!e great cur(e wall. 0!e canyon walls pus! back, counteracting
t!ese forces. 0!is action sAuee3es t!e concrete in t!e arc!
toget!er, making t!e am (ery rigi%. 0!is way, "ake 8ea can,t
pus! it o(er.
0oay, t!e *oo(er +am is t!e secon !ig!est am in t!e country
an t!e 19t! !ig!est in t!e worl. )t generates more t!an four
billion kilowatt-!ours a year -- t!at,s enoug! to ser(e 1.: million
people1
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5
*oo(er +am
1..; trillion cubic feet
&ast &acts:
At its base, *oo(er +am is as t!ick 4@@0 feet5 as two
footballs fiels measure en to en.
*oo(er +am is 7.@ feet tall. 0!at,s almost .00 feet
taller t!an t!e 7as!ington 8onument in 7as!ington, +.=.
+uring peak perios of electrical emans, enoug! water
runs t!roug! t!e generators to fill 15 a(erage-si3e
swimming pools 4.0,000 gallons eac!5 in one secon.
0!ere is enoug! concrete in *oo(er +am 4;.5 million cubic
yars5 to buil a two-lane roa from 'eattle, 7as!ington,
to 8iami, Floria, or a four-foot-wie siewalk aroun t!e
Eart! at t!e EAuator.
0!e *oo(er +am is so t!ick an !ea(y, it oesn,t e(en
nee to be cur(e1 )t,s !ea(y enoug! to resist t!e weig!t
an t!rust of t!e water pus!ing be!in it, but esigners
t!oug!t people woul feel safer wit! a cur(e esign.

)taipu Dam
Vital Statistics:
Location: %ra3il an 6araguay
Completion Date: 1991
Cost: $19 billion
Reservoir Capacity: 1.0. trillion cubic
feet
Type: /ra(ity
Purpose: *yroelectric power
Reservoir: )taipu $eser(oir
Materials: =oncrete
ngineer!s": )nternational Engineering =ompany& )taipu %inacional
Eig!teen was a lucky number for engineers working on t!e )taipu
+am. 0!e ;.9-mile-long compleB of concrete an rockfill ams on
t!e 2pper 6arana $i(er at t!e %ra3il-6araguay borer !as 19
generators, an it took 19 years an $19 billion to buil. 0!e main
structure, a !ollow, concrete gravity %am, !as a power!ouse
capable of generating 1.,@00 megawatts of electricity. 0!at,s
enoug! to power most of t!e state of =alifornia. )n fact, t!e
enormous am pro(ies .5 percent of %ra3il,s energy supply an
79 percent of neig!boring 6araguay,s energy supply. %ut builing
one of t!e largest !yroelectric ams in t!e worl was not easy.
Engineers actually !a to s!ift t!e
course of t!e se(ent! largest ri(er in
t!e worl, t!e 6arana $i(er, aroun t!e
construction site before builing t!e
)taipu +am. )t took almost t!ree years
for workers to car(e a 1.:-mile-long,
:00-foot-eep, ;90-foot-wie
i(ersion c!annel for t!e ri(er. Fifty
million tons of eart! an rock were remo(e in t!e process. 0!e
American 'ociety of =i(il Engineers recogni3e t!is ama3ing feat
an name t!e )taipu +am one of t!e F'e(en 7oners of t!e
8oern 7orl.F
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5

=lick p!oto
for larger image.
)taipu +am
1.0. trillion cubic feet
&ast &acts:
Engineers c!ose a !ollow gra(ity am because it reAuire
:5 percent less concrete t!an a soli gra(ity am. 0!e
!ollow am is still !ea(y an stury enoug! to resist t!e
t!rust of water entirely by its own weig!t.
0!e (olume of iron an steel use in t!e am woul be
enoug! to buil :90 Eiffel 0owers.
0!e am is a maCor tourist attraction. 8ore t!an nine
million (isitors from 1@. countries !a(e (isite t!e
structure since it was complete in 1991.

South &or$ Dam
Vital Statistics:
Location: ?o!nstown, 6ennsyl(ania,
2'A
Completion Date: 195.
Cost: $1@@,@;7
Reservoir Capacity: ..7 million cubic
feet
Type: Embankment
Purpose: 7ater supply for canal,
recreation
Reservoir: "ake =onemaug!
Misc: collapse 1999
Materials: $ock, clay
ngineer!s": 'yl(ester 7els!
>n t!e afternoon of 8ay :1, 1999, a pri(ate am in western
6ennsyl(ania burst, sening .0 million gallons of water an ebris
into t!e unsuspecting town of ?o!nstown wit! t!e force of a tial
wa(e. 0!e catastrop!e kille .,.09 people, left t!ousans
!omeless, an transforme t!e prospering city of ?o!nstown into
a (irtual wastelan.
%efore it burst, 'out! Fork +am !el
back "ake =onemaug!, t!e pleasure
lake of t!e 'out! Fork Fis!ing an
*unting =lub. )t was an em#an$ment
%am mae of clay, boulers, an irt.
0!roug! t!e years, t!e spillway
became clogge wit! trees an ot!er
floating ebris. 7!en it starte
raining on 8emorial +ay in 1999, t!e lake swelle an seepe o(er
t!e top of t!e structure. 0!e eart!-an-rock structure collapse,
releasing a t!unerous wa(e ;0 feet !ig! an !alf a mile wie into
t!e (alley. 7ater slamme into ?o!nstown wit! t!e force of
#iagara Falls. )t carrie !uge amounts of ebris, incluing !ouses,
barns, animals, an people. 0!e wa(e estroye t!e city in 10
minutes.
0!e 'out! Fork +am collapse because t!e spillway was poorly
maintaine. 0oay, large ams an t!eir spillways are inspecte
freAuently by Aualifie engineers.
*ere,s !ow t!is am stacks up against some of t!e biggest ams in t!e worl.
4reser(oir capacity, in cubic feet5
'out! Fork +am
..7 million cubic feet

.
=lick p!oto
for larger image.