The construction of a dam in the gap of Smith Mountain in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, had been considered as early as the 1920s. However, the dam's construction did not begin until 1960. Smith Mountain Dam closed the gap completely in 1963, and Smith Mountain Lake began to fill and form behind it. The hydroelectric dam consists of 175,000 cubic yards of concrete and has the capacity to generate 605 megawatts of electricity for up to 11 hours. Smith...

In this classic narrative history of the construction of Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950s and 1960s, Russell Martin has captured the individual, cultural, political, and environmental dramas that brought about the environmental movement we know today. Across the American West, calls for the removal of hydroelectric dams constructed during the Bureau of Reclamation's grand century of dam-building are ringing out. Five decades after its construction, Glen...

"Dam removal was not a realistic option in the twentieth century, and people who suggested it were dismissed as radical dreamers, but in recent decades it has become increasingly common, with dozens of removals now taking place each year nationwide. How did this happen? Same River Twice answers this question by telling the stories of three major Pacific Northwest dam removals - the politics, people, hopes, and fears that shaped three rivers and their...

Constructed between 1956 and 1966 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River was a project of immense proportions. Even before the non-stop pouring of 5 million yards of concrete began, much work had to be accomplished. The town of Page, Arizona was established on a windswept mesa to house workers and their families, and the 1,028-foot Glen Canyon Bridge was built to carry men, materials, and equipment to the...

"On May 31, 1889, heavy rains and a dam failure sent flood waters sweeping into Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The 50-foot-high wall of water quickly demolished much of the town. Will you and your new husband be able to escape certain doom as you wait for yourtrain to leave the station? Can you climb onto your house's roof for safety before the building completely fills with water? Will you join in the effort to save others who are floating by on the roofs...