Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions.
dam, structure built across a stream, a river, or an estuary to retain water. Dams are built to provide water for human consumption, for irrigating arid and semiarid lands, or for use in industrial processes.
The oldest known dam is the Jawa Dam, located in present-day Jordan. It was built in the fourth century B.C.E. Dams provided farmers with a steady source of water to irrigate crops.
Explore the types of dams, their advantages, disadvantages, and classification in this comprehensive guide to dams.
Dams can help protect communities from floods, provide water to irrigate farmland, enable safe passage for boats and barges, create places to play on the river and provide the Northwest with reliable, low-cost electricity. While not all dams perform the same jobs, most dams provide multiple benefits.
Dams are some of the oldest inventions of human societies as they date back to ancient Mesopotamian communities. Archaeological evidence indicates that one of the first dams constructed was located in present-day Jordan and is referred to as the Jawa Dam.
Dams are also called dykes or levees. They are large structures built on flowing water like streams and rivers to stop water flow. The advantages of dams are conserving water and generating electricity. The barriers constructed on the flowing water system create a large reservoir upstream.
If a dam is well designed, it will be strong enough to hold back the water behind it, whatever happens. But tragic accidents still occur, often caused by the unimaginable power of natural forces such as earthquakes, landslides or floods.