This article will bring you to the list of the largest hydroelectric dams in USA. Insider Monkey has recently published an interesting article about it. Although it’s not a competition, but if you were asked how many hydroelectric dams you know in the USA, what would you say? Harnessing this nature’s element is one of the oldest ways to generate power, and it would be necessary to say a word or two about the positives and negatives of hydroelectric power. There is a whole list of reasons why there are so many attempts to make use of other resources.
Now without a further ado let’s see what Insider Monkey has investigated for us. We have picked three of largest hydroelectric dams in USA from their list.
The first one is Shasta Dam. Its capacity is 4,552,000. Construction of the dam began in 1935, and it was completed in 1945. People living in the nearby were extremely grateful for job opportunities after the Great Depression, but today the area is one of the most popular vacation spots. The Shasta Dam is spreading across the Sacramento River, and its height is impressive – 602 feet, which makes it the eighth tallest dam in the States. As for the power, it has been upgraded recently to be 98% efficient. The next one on our short list now is Amistad Dam, whose capacity is 5,658,600. Everything is big in Texas. Another enormous construction lies partly in the US, and partly in Mexico. This dam ranks 9th on our list of largest hydroelectric dams in USA. It is actually a joint venture of the two countries which took only five years to build. Naturally, it is managed by International Boundary and Water Commission, which is an international body formed by the Mexican and American governments. At last, but not least we should mention Fort Peck Dam, with a capacity of 15,400,000. The Fort Peck Dam ranks 5th on our list of largest hydroelectric dams in USA. It is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. This is a hydraulic earth-fill dam, and its height is 250 feet. Interestingly, the dam is enlisted in the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s the largest hydraulically filled dam in the whole country. What is more, its structure volume makes it the second largest dam (the first is the Tarbela Dam in Pakistan).
For any further useful information, read Insider Monkey’s article about 11 largest hydroelectric dams in USA.
