- City:
- Los Angeles, CA
- Site Type:
- Infrastructure and Utilities, Dams
- New Deal Agencies:
- Federal & Military Operations, Work Relief Programs, Army Corps of Engineers, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1938
- Completed:
- 1940
- Contractor:
- Guy F. Atkinson
- Quality of Information:
- Good
- Marked:
- Unknown
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
The Hansen Dam in Los Angeles, CA was constructed in 1938-40 as part of an enormous flood control project in Los Angeles County. Located at the confluence of Big and Little Tujunga washes in the San Fernando Valley’s Lake View Terrace neighborhood, the $11,000,000 project was completed under a contract between the Army Corps of Engineers, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). $2,300,000 came from the Emergency Relief Agency (ERA). The project was overseen by Lieut. Col. Edwin C. Kelton of the Corps. The project hired WPA workers and contracted the Guy F. Atkinson Company. The dam is two miles long and 102 ft high. The Corps continues to run the dam today.
Source notes
US Army Corps of Engineers, Hansen Dam Basin, Los Angeles County, California, Master Plan and Environmental Assessment (September 2011).
"Hansen Dam Dedicated," Los Angeles Times, Aug 18, 1940.
Number 2602; Project Applications, Reports, and Related Records; Records of the Work Projects Administration, Record Group 69; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD [online version available at www.catalog.archives.gov (NAID: 506799044); July 5th, 2025].
Site originally submitted by Joshua Segura on August 23, 2025.
Site last updated on August 23, 2025.
Site Details
| Federal Cost | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| $2,300,000 | $11,000,000 |
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