Auburn Dam Site, California

Remnants from early and aborted construction attempts can be seen at the site of the proposed $1 billion Auburn Dam on the American River. This dam has been proposed in several forms since the 1950s; each time the proposed project failed to be executed. Construction even started on the dam in 1967, and continued until an earthquake stopped the project several years later. The function of the dam would be to help prevent flooding in the Sacramento area, and would make more land suitable for development. In 2008, the California State Water Resources Control Board revoked the water permits for the Auburn Dam,  which it had granted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.