Dams

Reachable only by foot, the ruins of the 1800s pump house and dam that supplied water to Durham, North Carolina, until 1927 sit by the scenic Eno River.

Once a vital asset for Southeast Alaska’s timber industry and the backdrop for the gritty 1954 film noir classic Cry Vengeance, the Connell Lake dam now stands as a tragic yet scenic barrier blocking vital fish passage.

The tallest dam in Montana and top 10 in the country.

Two sections of the old dam that made it possible to tame the Meuse in Belgium in the 19th century.

This dam is part of the nation’s largest public power producer and a historic steward of Hiwassee River.

Colorado’s second largest natural lake was created by a landslide.

The only undammed section of the Columbia River in the United States has been preserved, ironically, by its proximity to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Boats and fish both find their way through this massive hydroelectric structure.

The ruins of a failed dam that was built over land later described as a "sponge."

An exceptional engineering feat that facilitates the migration of salmon upstream during their breeding season.

The tallest stone dam in Poland was opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II himself.

An artistically engineered dam designed to honor the relationship between humankind and nature.

The largest hydroelectric project in Laos created this eerie landscape.

The first project by the Bureau of Reclamation illustrates both the upsides and downsides of reclamation.

This 86,000-square-foot artwork is the largest mural in the world to cover a dam.