Program Descriptions: Dams

Bridges | Domes | Skyscrapers | Dams | Tunnels

Photo: dam

Dams may be the most controversial of large structures. While dams can store water, prevent floods, and generate electricity, they can also displace entire towns and damage the environment. The program explores the engineering challenges and social impact of big dams, including the concrete Hoover Dam and Egypt's enormous Aswan High Dam.


Segment	Start*	End**	Length*
Introduction	"This idyllic spot in the mountains ..."	"Dams, coming next on Building Big."	3:30
Dam Basics: tradeoffs; problem-solving; dam shape; waterproof clay core; dam failure	(3:30) Igaicu Falls	"... it took another 4,500 years for people to build another dam."	6:15
Aswan High Dam Politics: Nile flood cycle; financing the dam	(9:45) Sailboat	"...larger than the Great Pyramid and designed to last just as long."	5:45
Building the Aswan High Dam: diversion channels; cofferdams; dam shape; grout curtains; tradeoffs	(15:30) Tractors in the desert	"...a single dam heralded a new age for a growing nation."	11:47
Hoover Dam Politics: problem-solving; financing the dam	(27:17) Hoover Dam	"...Hoover Dam as a new source of supply."	2:58
Hoover Dam Engineering: worker safety; gravity dams; arches; concrete; hydroelectric power	(30:15) Explosions	"...elsewhere and on rivers much bigger than the Colorado."	11:08
Environmental and Social Impacts: tradeoffs; models; spillways; resettlement	(41:23) Dams in Western U.S.	"...dams for the advancement of all civilizations."	11:37

*Start times and lengths of video segments are written as minutes:seconds.
**End cues reflect a preliminary version of the program script. The final version may differ.