Davis Dam

The Davis Dam is a dam on the Colorado River downstream from Hoover Dam (ca. 45 mi). It stretches across the border between Arizona and Nevada. Originally called Bullhead Dam, Davis dam was renamed after Arthur Powell Davis, who was the director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1914 to 1932. The Bureau of Reclamation owns and operates the dam, which was completed in 1951.

Davis Dam is a zoned earthfill dam with a concrete spillway, 1600 feet (490 m) in length at the crest, and 200 feet (60 meters) high. The earthfill dam begins on the Arizona side, but it does not extend to the Nevada side. Instead, there is an inlet formed by earth and concrete. At the end of the inlet, there is the spillway. The power plant is on the side of the inlet, perpendicular to the dam. This is a very unusual design. The dam's purpose is to reregulate releases from Hoover Dam and facilitate the delivery of Colorado River water to Mexico. Bullhead City, Arizona, and Laughlin, Nevada, are located nearby, on opposite sides of the dam. Davis Camp is also close. Bullhead City was originally a construction town for workers building the dam.