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A dam is a barrier that restricts or stops the flow of water, helping to suppress floods and providing irrigation, industrial, and aquaculture uses. Here are seven different types of dams and their respective purposes.
The Importance of Dams
Dams are a vital part of national infrastructure, standing alongside highways, bridges, tunnels, bus stations, and airports in terms of importance. They provide essential services that support both daily life and long-term economic development.
Key functions of dams include:
· Domestic water supply – ensuring reliable access to clean water for communities
· Agricultural irrigation – supporting food production by delivering water to farmland
· Industrial production – supplying water for manufacturing and other industrial processes
· Flood control – protecting towns and cities from destructive flooding events
· Recreation – creating opportunities for boating, fishing, and tourism
· Hydroelectric power generation – producing renewable energy to power homes and industries
1. Diversion Dam
2. Buttress Dam
3. Embankment Dam
4. Cofferdam
5. Storage Dam
6. Detention Dam
7. Gravity Dam
There are many different kinds of dams, each serving a specific purpose. For example, a cofferdam is ideal for creating a dry work site for construction projects.
Here are some of the various types of dams and their uses:
Like the name says, a diversion dam is used to divert water. They provide pressure to push water into ditches, canals, or other areas used for conveyance. Diversion dams are typically lower in height and have a small water storage area in it’s upstream.
Buttress dams can take many forms, but they all consist of a sloping deck supported by intervals of buttresses. There are three main buttress dams, including: multiple arch type, massive head type, and deck type. Buttress dams usually use less concrete than other dams but are not necessarily cheaper.
An embankment dam is a large, artificial dam that is constructed with natural excavated materials or industrial waste materials, such as compacted plastics, and various compositions of soil, sand, rock, and clay.
A cofferdam is a temporary, portable dam used for a variety of projects including bridge repair, shoreline restoration, pipeline installation, and many other construction projects. A cofferdam is used to close off some or all of a construction area.
These dams are not mean to divert or keep water out, but to keep water in. Storage dams are constructed to store water during the rainy seasons, supply water to the local wildlife, and store water for hydroelectric power generation, and irrigation. Storage dams are the most common types of dams.
Detention dams are specifically constructed for flood control by retarding flow downstream, helping reduce flash floods (to some extent). The water is retained in a reservoir to be later gradually released.
A gravity dam is a massive, man-made concrete dam designed to hold large volumes of water. Because of the heavy concrete used, it is able to resist the horizontal thrust of the water, and gravity essentially holds the dam to the ground. They are used to block rivers in wide valleys and must be built on a strong foundation of bedrock.
Nature creates dams when trees or other debris block a river, and beavers also build natural dams. Humans construct dams to divert or harness water for various purposes.
Dams are classified according to the construction material used. Other factors include the slope or cross-section of the dam and how it resists the force of water pressure.
Dams have been built from timber, masonry, embankment materials, and other types.
· Timber dams were once widely used because they could be built quickly and materials were readily available. They are rarely used today due to their short lifespan and height limitations. Timber dams must be kept wet to prevent rot.
· Embankment dams, constructed of compacted dirt or rocks, rely on their weight to hold back water.
· Steel dams were an early 20th-century experiment using steel plating. They were considered cheaper than concrete, earth, or masonry dams, and stronger than timber.
· Masonry dams are built from stone, concrete blocks, rubble, or brick.
· Embankment dams can also be fabricated from natural materials or industrial waste. If over half of the volume is compacted earth, they are considered embankment dams. Subtypes include:
Hydraulic-fill dams, made from dredged materials.
Rock-fill dams, made from compacted or dumped rock, cobblestone, or quarried stone.
Many dams are built to supply drinking water to towns and cities. Irrigation is another important purpose, and in industry, dams create reservoirs to supply factories or contain effluents from industrial and mining by-products.
Some dams improve navigation and provide recreation areas. They are also used for flood control and to create manmade habitats for fish and wildlife.
Dams enable hydroelectric power generation, and some dams serve multiple purposes simultaneously.
· Low dams – Less than 10 yards in height.
· Medium dams – Between 10 and 16 yards in height.
· Large dams – Higher than 16 yards.
· Major dams – Over 180 yards in height.
Dams can also be classified based on their type and purpose.
· Saddle dams, auxiliary dams, and dikes – These allow higher water elevation and storage. Saddle dams are placed in low spots to prevent inundation of nearby land and improve reservoir efficiency. Dikes specifically reclaim arable land from shallow bodies of water.
· Levees – Walls or embankments along a water body to protect land from flooding.
· Overflow dams – Constructed to be overtopped by water.
· Weirs – Small overflow dams used to measure water flow.
· Check dams – Reduce water flow speed and control soil erosion.
· Wing dams – Partially restrict water, creating faster channels that prevent sediment buildup.
· Dry dams – Retain water to control flooding, releasing it only during high flow events.
· Diversionary dams – Alter the course of part or all of a river’s flow.
· Gravity dams – Rely on size and shape to retain water. They may be solid or hollow; for example, the Grand Coulee Dam is a solid gravity dam, Itaipu Dam is hollow, and the Grande Dixence Dam in Switzerland is the world’s tallest gravity dam.
· Arch dams – Stability comes from their arch shape and gravity. Best suited for narrow canyons with steep, rocky sides, arch dams may be single, double, or multiple arched. This design minimizes the amount of concrete required.
· Buttress dams – Feature a watertight section supported by reinforced concrete buttresses on the downstream side; they may also incorporate multiple arches.
· Coffer dams – Temporary structures enclosing construction areas. Diversion coffer dams redirect a stream into a tunnel or channel.
· Hydropower dams – Utilize different water levels between reservoirs and tailwaters to drive turbines and generate electricity.
· Industrial waste dams – Store industrial waste by suspending materials in water, which is then incorporated into an embankment dam alongside solid waste.
BIC classifies dams according to both type and purpose, ensuring proper design, construction, and management for each application.
There are many different kinds of dams, each serving a specific purpose. For example, a cofferdam is ideal for creating a dry work site for construction projects.
Dams are crucial for various applications, including domestic, industrial, and irrigation uses. They provide water for drinking, bathing, hydroelectric power generation, water storage, flood protection, and more.
Contact us to learn more about the different kinds of dams and their uses.
