List of the tallest dams in the United States

This is a list of the tallest dams in the United States of America. It lists the 10 highest dams in the U.S., along with the three highest of each state (if applicable). The tallest dam is the Oroville Dam in California, 23rd tallest in the world, which stands 770 feet (230 m) high along the Feather River. California also has five other dams that are among the ten highest dams in the United States.

Taller dams in the United States tend to be concentrated in the western part of the country, where deeper river valleys and steeper mountains are found. Many tall dams, such as Flaming Gorge Dam, Glen Canyon Dam, and Hoover Dam, are located in the American Southwest where one of the largest canyon systems in the world, the Grand Canyon, is found.

Lists mostly follow the same format. The first column gives the dam name, and the second column the height. The next column houses an image. The next three columns give the river it impounds, the state it is located in and the county (or general location). The last three columns list the construction date of the dam, the coordinates, and a short description.

Contents

Top 10 Highest Dams in the United States

Dam Height Image River Location Construction Date Coordinates Description
Oroville Dam 770 feet (230 m)[1] Feather River Butte County, California 1967 [2] Earthfill dam
Hoover Dam 726 feet (221 m)[1] Colorado River Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada 1938 [3] Concrete arch dam on Colorado River, tallest in world upon completion in 1938. Forms Lake Mead which stretches 110 miles (180 km) upstream to the Grand Canyon.
Dworshak Dam 717 feet (218 m) Clearwater River Clearwater County, Idaho 1972[4] [5] Concrete gravity dam on Clearwater River in Idaho. Produces 460 MW of power.
Glen Canyon Dam 710 feet (216 m) Colorado River Coconino County, Arizona 1966 [6] Concrete arch dam on Colorado River in Glen Canyon. Similar in size to Hoover Dam, one of the most controversial dam projects of all time.
New Bullards Bar Dam 645 feet (197 m) Yuba River Yuba County, California 1969 [7]
Seven Oaks Dam 632 feet (193 m) Santa Ana River San Bernardino County, California 1999 Flood control dam on Santa Ana River.
New Melones Dam 625 feet (191 m) Stanislaus River Tuolumne County, California 1979 [8]
Mossyrock Dam 606 feet (185 m) Cowlitz River Lewis County, Washington 1968 [9]
Shasta Dam 602 feet (183 m) Sacramento River Shasta County, California 1945 [10] Concrete arch dam on Sacramento River in northern California. Forms Shasta Lake, one of the largest reservoirs in California.
New Don Pedro Dam 585 feet (178 m) Tuolumne River Tuolumne County, California 1971 [11]

Highest dams by state and region

These are lists of the highest dams of each state (if applicable). Dams in each list are sorted by state in order listed below, not height. The lists are split into several regions:

Pacific

Dam Height River State(s) County(s) or location Construction Date Coordinates
Oroville Dam 770 feet (230 m) Feather River California Butte County 1967
New Don Pedro Dam 585 feet (178 m) Tuolumne River California Tuolumne County, 1971
Seven Oaks Dam 550 feet (170 m) Santa Ana River California San Bernardino County 1999
Grand Coulee Dam 550 feet (170 m) Columbia River Washington Grant/Okanogan County 1942
Mossyrock Dam 606 feet (185 m) Cowlitz River Washington Lewis 1968 [9]
Cougar Dam 519 feet (158 m) Mckenzie River South Fork Oregon 1964 [12]
Oroville Dam 770 feet (230 m) Feather River California Butte 1967 [2]
Blue Lake Dam 342 feet (104 m) Blue Lake Valley Creek Alaska Sitka 1958 [13]

West

Dam Height River State(s) County(s) or location Construction Date Coordinates
Flaming Gorge Dam 502 feet (153 m) Green River Utah Daggett 1968 [14]
Hoover Dam 726 feet (221 m)[1] Colorado River Arizona, Nevada Mohave, Clark 1936 [3]
Navajo Dam 402 feet (123 m) San Juan River New Mexico 1962
Dworshak Dam 717 feet (219 m) Clearwater River Idaho Clearwater 1972 [5]
Yellowtail Dam 525 feet (160 m)[15] Big Horn River Montana 1968 [16]
Buffalo Bill Dam 353 feet (108 m) Shoshone River Wyoming Park 1910 [17]
Hungry Horse Dam 564 feet (172 m) South Fork Flathead River Montana Glacier National Park 1953 [18]
Broken Bow Dam 225 feet (69 m) Mountain Fork Oklahoma McCurtain 1970

Midwest

Dam Height River State(s) County(s) or location Construction Date Coordinates
Wisconsin
Michigan
Missouri
Kansas
Mississippi
Alabama
Toledo Bend Dam 110 feet (34 m) Sabine River Louisiana 1969 [19]
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Fontana Dam 480 feet (150 m) Little Tennessee River Tennessee Appalachian Mountains 1944

Southeast

Dam Height River State(s) County(s) or location Construction Date Coordinates
Carters Dam 445 feet (136 m) Coosawattee River Georgia Murray 1977 [20]
Florida
South Carolina
Fontana Dam 480 feet (150 m) Little Tennessee River North Carolina Swain 1944 [21]

Northeast

Dam Height River State(s) County(s) or location Construction Date Coordinates
Smith Mountain Dam 227 feet (69 m) Roanoke River Virginia Franklin, Bedford, Roanoke, Pittsylvania 1963
Philpott Dam 220 feet (67 m) Smith River Virginia Franklin, Henry 1953 [22]
West Virginia
Kinzua Dam 175 feet (53 m) Allegheny River Pennsylvania Warren 1965 [23]
Delaware
Maryland
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
New Croton Dam 297 feet (91 m) New York
Merril Creek Dam 280 feet (85 m)[24] New Jersey
Ball Mountain Dam 265 feet (81 m) Vermont [25]
New Hampshire
Maine

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "U.S. Bureau of Reclamation- What is the biggest dam in the world?". http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/History/essays/biggest.html. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  2. ^ a b "Oroville Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:230109. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  3. ^ a b "Hoover Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:5928. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  4. ^ "U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Dworshak Dam". http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/dpn/dpn_project.asp?project_id=43. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  5. ^ a b "Dworshak Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:398881. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  6. ^ "Glen Canyon Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:5056. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
  7. ^ "New Bullards Bar Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:264055. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  8. ^ "New Melones Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1664773. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  9. ^ a b "Mossyrock Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1528735. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  10. ^ "Shasta Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:232873. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  11. ^ "Don Pedro Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1655727. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  12. ^ "Cougar Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1158181. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  13. ^ "Blue Lake Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1417171. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 
  14. ^ "Flaming Gorge Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1444112. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  15. ^ "40 years old, Yellowtail Dam still hums". http://www.montanastandard.com/articles/2008/02/18/state_top/20080218_state_top.txt. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  16. ^ "Yellowtail Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:778737. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  17. ^ "Buffalo Bill Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1608038. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  18. ^ "Hungry Horse Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:793936. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  19. ^ "Toledo Bend Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:556732. Retrieved 2009-03-07. 
  20. ^ "Carters Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:312388. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  21. ^ "Fontana Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1011302. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  22. ^ "Philpott Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1488947. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  23. ^ "Kinzua Dam". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1217455. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  24. ^ "Hydraulic Design- Day 2". http://users.rowan.edu/~orlins/hyd/downloads/dams-6.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  25. ^ "Ball Mountain Dam". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/projects/vt/bmd/fsJan10.pdf. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 

External links