The construction of dams for water storage and hydroelectric power generation is one of the archetypical impositions that the Anthropocene has brought to bear on the natural grand Water Cycle.
This wave of dam construction began approximately a century ago and many were transformative projects of huge political as well as functional significance: Hoover Dam, Kariba Dam, Aswan Dam, and the Snowy Mountains and Lesotho Highlands Schemes are awesome engineering accomplishments that have delivered huge economic value.