Hansen Dam
Encyclopedia
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was built in 1940 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District. The project is located near the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
on Tujunga Wash
Tujunga Wash
Tujunga Wash is a stream in Los Angeles County, California. It is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, providing about a fifth of its flow, and drains about...
, about one mile below the confluence of the Big Tujunga Wash and the Little Tujunga Wash, and about four miles southeast of the independent city of San Fernando, California
San Fernando, California
San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
Hansen Dam was named after horse ranchers Homer and Marie Hansen, who established a ranch in the 19th century. In 1939 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seized the horse ranch's land via eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to build a dam due to occurrences of flooding in the northeast and southeast portions of the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. The 2 miles (3.2 km) long, 97 feet (29.6 m) high dam was built to control floodwaters.