Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons: Geotechnical Engineering: Dams & Levees

Dams and Levees

ASCE Report Card: Dams
The 2021 ASCE Report Card gave the nation's dams a grade of D, and warned that "the average age of the more than 91,000 dams in the country is 57 years."
ASCE Report Card: Levees
The 2021 ASCE report card gave the nation's 40.000 miles of levees a grade of D.
FEMA Dam Safety Publications
Videos, software, technical guides and reports, and guidelines for dam safety are available from this Federal agency's website.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability
A 2017 document from the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI).
Links to Pages on New Orleans Levee Breaches During Hurricane Katrina
Links to important documents on the levee failures.
USACE: Levee Design and Construction Manual
A complete guide to the design and construction of levees.
USBR: Story of Hoover Dam
Articles and essays on the history and structural aspects of the dam.