The construction of a dam can involve a significant investment. Dam owners need to ensure that their money is well spent and that their dam becomes an asset rather than a liability. A properly constructed dam is an asset; a poorly constructed dam is a liability. Governments that spend huge amounts of money to build new dams should consider how to optimize existing dams. Studying, then optimizing, their capacities, targets, and operation may well be an extremely cost effective investment, complementary to the construction of new dams. This paper discusses Reclamation’s embankment dam design and construction organizations and how they have evolved during the past century. Reclamation’s embankment dam design and construction approach involved one engineer in charge of all phases of the work, from development of the project all the way through design and construction of the dam and appurtenant structures. Embankment dam design and construction were then based largely on previous experience with dams that had been successfully designed, built, and operated without failure. Since that beginning, the design of embankment dams has evolved to now include: site investigations and engineering geology; pale hydrology; evaluation of foundation conditions and treatment; laboratory investigations of foundation and borrow materials; geotechnical analysis of design criteria such as seepage, filters, slope stability, deformation, and seismic behavior; instrumentation and performance monitoring; and construction equipment, methods, and management.