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.

The Ohio Dam Locator shows all dams inventoried in the Ohio Dam Safety Program database. This tool provides basic information about the dam such as location, height, length, and volume impounded.

Jun 21, 2024 · A dam is a structure built across a stream or river to hold water back. Dams can be used to store water, control flooding, and generate electricity.

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.

Select from the suggested searches to link directly to a dam, find dams by location, or find dams near an address. To run an advanced search, one can click the "Advanced Search" link above...

Oct 22, 2025 · The National Inventory of Dams (NID) documents all known dams in the United States and its territories that meet certain criteria.

By storing and managing water flow, dams have helped improve agriculture, urban water supply, and power generation, making them critical for economic growth and disaster prevention. Dams serve …

Dams generate electricity, supply water, and control floods, but they also come with real environmental costs. Here’s how they work and why some are coming down.

River water rises behind dams, forming artificial lakes called reservoirs. The stored water can be used to generate electricity or to supply water for homes and industries, for irrigation or for navigation.

In the U.S., more than 16,700 dams are classified as high hazard potential as of August 2024, which means that if one of these dams should fail, the likely result would be loss of life and significant …