Source-first data
Every dataset is labeled official, research, or community-maintained, with access mode and cautions.
Open source catalog →Public data, plainly explained
Find the dam. Find the source. Understand the stakes.
Explore a curated map of landmark U.S. dams, search the complete public NID through a bounded API, and learn how safety, ownership, water, hydropower, and river restoration fit together.
30
curated map records
14
vetted source systems
Live
paged USACE NID API
0
invented activity cards
Interactive U.S. atlas
Landmark dams, failures, and removals
These selected records make national themes tangible; they are not the full federal inventory. For all public NID records, use the live API or open the official NID source.
Curated context and historic cases
Hazard:
Loading map…
Marker hazard:HighSignificantLowfewer featuredmore / state
High hazardSatisfactoryOperational
Hoover Dam
Nevada / Arizona
One of the most iconic dams in the world, impounding Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S. by capacity.
- Year completed
- 1936
- Height
- 726 ft
- River
- Colorado River
- Storage
- 28,500,000 acre-ft
- Owner
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- Type
- Concrete arch-gravity
Primary purpose
Hydroelectric, water supply, flood control
30 dams
Educational layer: condition and historic summaries can change. Confirm each record with its owner and regulator.
Query the full NID →Learn the language
Understand hazard potential, condition, emergency action plans, regulation, hydropower, and removal.
Start learning →Machine-readable by design
Use REST, OpenAPI, RSS, discovery documents, and a real read-only JSON-RPC MCP server.
Read API & MCP docs →Start with primary records
The three source systems to know first
Official federal
National Inventory of Dams
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Dam identity, location, ownership, purpose, dimensions, hazard potential, condition fields, and regulator-reported attributes.
Official federal
NID Public Feature Service
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
GIS clients, reproducible API queries, state filtering, and selected feature exports.
Official federal
National Dam Safety Program
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Preparedness, emergency action planning, risk communication, grant programs, and federal guidance documents.
Created and curated by Michael Barbine (BigNerdLoLz). Brought to you by PlatPhorm News. Source catalog last reviewed .