The Reclamation Act of 1902 created what is now called the Bureau of Reclamation, whose primarily engineering staff sought potential water development projects in western states with federal lands. The Colorado River was chosen because of the flooding it caused and the enormous amount of water it could provide to surrounding states. The Boulder Canyon Project Act of 1928 authorized construction of the dam. Bureau of Reclamation engineers were among the most experienced dam builders in the world, but the Colorado River required a huge dam larger than anything they had designed before. Art Deco architectural elements were designed by architect Gordon B. Kaufmann, including the intake towers, towers on top of the dam, Arizona powerhouse exteriors, Nevada powerhouse exteriors, and an exhibit building.