The Prairies have a unique geological environment of hard and soft shale altered by glacial action which develops strength close to the residual strength. These same glaciers created lake bed deposits that are derived from shale and have unique characteristics. In the book you will find a summary of the philosophy of design, investigation and construction as suggested by a number of prominent earth dam engineers. There are examples of the effects of under compaction resulting in embankment erosion and over compaction resulting in a reduction of the shear strength to the residual value. Yes, you can create the residual strength in a soil. There are examples showing the measured pore pressure and deformations on actual dams, suggestions on the magnitudes of deformation that are acceptable and unacceptable, discussion on the factor of safety, and of PFRA methods of design. The data is presented such that you may add your own data and draw your own conclusions on design problems.