U.S. Dam Trivia

  • There are 84,100 dams listed in the National Inventory of Dams (2009 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 Old Oaken Bucket Pond Dam in Massachusetts, built in 1640
  • 3,123 dams were completed in 1960, the greatest number of dams completed in one year
  • Texas is the state with the most dams in the inventory - 7,160
  • There are 213 dams with "Beaver" in the title

Dam Photo