Dams are built for a variety of reasons, including irrigation, flood control, power generation, water supply, land reclamation, water diversion, navigation, recreation, and aquatic beauty. The following are the top ten largest dams in the world in terms of structure volume.
1. Syncrude Tailings Dam (Mildred MLSB)
This dam, also known as the Mildred Lake Settling Basin (MLSB), is the world’s largest dam by structure volume, which ranges between 540 and 720 million cubic metres. The structure is 88 metres tall, according to the report and the Height of the Dams. The dams, which are located in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, were built from 1976 to 1978 and then altered and rebuilt until 1995.
2. Tarbela Dam
The Tarbela Dam is located in Tarbela, Pakistan, and was built between 1968 and 1976 at a cost of US $1,497 million. With a structure height of 143 metres and a storage capacity of 106 to 152 million cubic metres, the dam created Tarbela Reservoir with a surface area of 250 square kilometres.
3. Syncrude Tailings Dam (Mildred SWSS)
This is a section of the Mildred SWSS (South West Sand Storage) Syncrude Dam in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. Dams were built between 2009 and 2010, with a volume of around 119 million cubic metres and a structure height of 50 metres.
4. Fort Peck Dam
This is an old dam in Fort Peck that was built between 1933 and 1940 at a cost of $100 million. The dam’s structure volume is around 96 million cubic metres, and the dam’s height is 76.4 metres. Fort Peck Lake, with a surface area of 245,000 acres, is created by the Fort Peck Dam.
5. Ataturk Dam
This dam, also known as the Karababa Dam (Original Name), was built in Sanliurfa, Turkey, between 1983 and 1992. The dam’s structure volume is estimated to be around 84 million cubic metres, with a height of 166 metres and a length of 1819 metres. The dam project cost around $1.25 billion in the United States.
6. Flevoland Dyke
The Flevoland Dyke Dam is located in the Dutch province of Flevoland. Constructed in 1968. The dam stands at a height of 13 metres and has a total structure volume of around 78 million cubic metres.
7. Guri Dam
Guri Dam, located in Necuima Canyon in Bolivar, was built between 1963 and 1978 and can store 70 million cubic metres of structure volume. Its height from the construction surface is 162 metres. The Caroni River created the dam, which created the Guri Reservoir, which has a surface area of approximately 4,250 square kilometers.
8. Gardiner Dam
The Gardiner Dam, located on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan, Canada, was built between 1959 and 1967. The dam is 1.5 kilometres wide and 64 metres tall at its base, with a volume of approximately 65.4 million cubic metres.
9. Mangla Dam
The Mangla Dam is a dam built on the Jhelum River in Mirpur District, Pakistan, between 1961 and 1967. The dam is 138 metres high and 3.14 kilometres long, with a volume of 65 million cubic metres.
10. Oroville Dam
The Oroville Embankment Dam, located east of the city of Oroville in California, was built on the Feather River. The Dam is 230 metres tall, 2,110 metres long, and has a 59.6 million cubic metre structure volume.
