The History of Large Federal Dams: Planning, Design, and Construction

by David P. Billington, Martin V. Melosi, Donald C. Jackson

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Explores the story of Federal contributions to dam planning, design, and construction.
Related Concrete Dam Instrumentation Manual can be found Design of Gravity Dams : Design Manual for Concrete Gravity Dams can be found Design of Small Dams is available

605 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

A longtime professor of engineering at Princeton University, David P. Billington is the author of numerous books dealing with construction and design, as well as with profiles of major structural engineers. This last-named interest inspired several books on the works of the Swiss engineer Robert Maillart, including the 1990 title, Robert Maillart and the Art of Reinforced Concrete. Maillart, who lived from 1872 to 1940, was a pioneer in the expressive uses of reinforced concrete in construction and design. Writing in Technology Review, Thomas Frick felt that Billington's book "allows the reader to grasp the structural basis of Maillart's design decisions." Billington's interest in Maillart led to his cowriting the 2003 title The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy, which serves as an overview to the work not only of Maillart, but also of such designers and engineers as Christian Menn and Othmar Hermann Ammann.

Reviews

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only comprehensive treatment of the US dam system that I found. It is written mainly with engineering, legal, and administrative processes in mind, and there is only an occasional overspill into cultural, social, or environmental issues. As a result, it is not the easiest reading in the world. Still, I learned a lot, and it is a great complement and counterpoint to all the environmental history books I read recently.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this one for work too....