dam, Barrier built across a stream, river, or estuary to conserve water for such uses as human consumption, irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power generation. The earliest recorded dam is believed to be a masonry structure 15 m (49 ft) high built across the Nile River in Egypt c. 2900 bce. Modern dams are generally built of earth fill, rock fill, masonry, or monolithic concrete. Earth-fill (or embankment) dams, such as Egypt’s Aswan High Dam, are usually used across broad rivers to retain water. The profile of an earth-fill dam is a broad-based triangle. Concrete dams may take various forms. The gravity dam uses its own dead weight to resist the horizontal force of the water. Concrete-buttress dams reduce material in the wall itself by using support buttresses around the outside base. An arch dam, such as Hoover Dam, is built in a convex arch facing the reservoir and owes its strength essentially to its shape, which is particularly efficient in transferring hydraulic forces to supports.
