Facts on engineering - Part 4 Dams - Information for kids

In order for us to catch up rainwater or store water from rivers which we will use in our daily lives, we need dams.  If you want to built a dam, it must be strong enough to withstand the pressure from all the water and big enough to catch a lot of water.  This is where the engineer comes in.

A dam is a barrier designed and constructed to contain the flow of water. It is often built in conjunction with a hydroelectric power station to provide electricity. 

There are many dams in different countries.  Lets gather some facts.

Besides from just damming up the water for future use, the water can also be used to generate electricity.  How does that happen?

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A dam can also be used for recreation like going on a boat, swimming or fishing. It can also help to prevent flooding and to divert water to farms which will be used for irrigation.

The engineer will decide what type of dam will be build and how big.  The factors he will consider are things like the amount of money available and the location and the purpose.

Different types of dams include masonry dams, embankment dams and arch-gravity dams. 

The most well known 'dam builder' in nature is a beaver.  They use sticks and mud to build and it is where they will stay, breed and hide from predators.  A lot of people see the beaver as a pest since they stop the water from flowing and reaching the lower parts.

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To build a dam cost a lot of money and you are looking at millions of dollars. One of the best know dams in America is the Hoover dam.

• it was build between 1931 and 1936
• it is 221 meters high
• it is build along the Colorado river
• when it was completed, it was the world's largest concrete structure (there is enough concrete to build a two way highway from New York to San Francisco) and also the world's largest hydro electrical plant

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It can happen that either dams are not build strong enough or natural disasters like earthquakes or typhoons causes it to break - this can cause major damage, floodings and even loss of life.

In 1889 a failure of the South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, killed over 2200 people. 

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