Jacob H. Douma
there because we worked on model tests for about eight different kinds of dams
various kinds of spillways and outlet works.
So this was a critical experience for you, then?
A:
It certainly was.
How much did you note the difference between the way the Corps worked and the way the
Bureau worked at that time? Or had you spent just too little time with the Corps to
understand that?
A:
Yes. Well, the impression was in the engineering profession that the Bureau of
Reclamation was the outstanding government engineering agency. They knew more about
design and construction of dams than any other agency. That's not surprising because the
Bureau started at least 20 years before the Corps on designing and constructing dams.
When I was working for them, they were doing a lot of things that the Waterways
Experiment Station wasn't doing. The Waterways Experiment Station was just doing
model testing. I was in the Bureau's head office, where design, model testing, project
investigations, concrete and earth dam engineers were all in one building.
Did you discern any kind of institutional approaches on the Bureau's part at that time?
Did they have a preference for a type of dam, earth versus concrete, or a specific design?
No, I don't think so. A lot of their dams were earth. Of course, the specific factors and
conditions many times made it obvious whether an earth dam or a concrete darn should be
constructed. In a narrow gorge with rocky abutments, a concrete dam will be the least
costly. Construction of an earth dam is difficult in that kind of site. On the other hand,
for a low dam in a valley, 500 or more feet wide, usually an earth dam was cheaper. The
cost usually determines what kind of dam is constructed.
The cost and the actual physical topography of the area that you're dealing with are also
critical, aren't they?
.
Yes. That has something to do with it, too. Topography affects the cost, so, actually,
A:
topography, type dam, and cost are interrelated factors. Also, for a fairly high dam, if
there is no good rock foundation, it's better to construct an earth dam because the base of
the earth dam is much broader than a concrete dam. That's the most important factor to
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