U.S. Dam Trivia

• There are 76,926 dams listed in the national inventory (1998-1999 edition)
• Only 2.7% of the dams are owned by the federal government
• The most common dam name is Smith Lake Dam
• 81% of the dams in the inventory are earthen dams
• 8% of the dams include more than one dam type
• 1,595 significant hazard dams are within one mile of a downstream city
• 20 dams in the inventory were completed in the 18th century
• The oldest dam in the inventory is Mill pond dam in Newington, CT, built in 1677
• 3,123 dams were completed in 1960, the greatest number of dams completed in one year
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers own 569 dams
• Texas is the state with the most dams in the inventory - 6,342
• Average age for a dam is 40 years
• Eight dams are named "Beaver Dam"