Figure 16.36

U.S. dams and reservoirs built since 1850. The history of dam building in the United States is shown in these four maps. Since 1850, the United States has seen exponential growth in the number of dams, reflecting the importance of these structures to human society. Most of the building of dams took place between 1950 and 2000; dam building has since decreased.

(Courtesy of James Syvitski, University of Colorado at Boulder)