Sentence:  Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout <WSD>dams</WSD>, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins ...&thinsp;. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting / some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding