Preview

Why Did They Build The Hoover Dam

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
756 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Did They Build The Hoover Dam
The Hoover Ddam was constructed in the 1930s. Iit’s so long that its spans the Colorado River in Black Canyon between Arizona and Nevada. its like 30 miles southeast of La Vegas Nevada.The hoover dam wasbeen plannedplanded to be builtd for years to stop floods from the river.The Hhoover Ddam is one of America’s greatest civil engineering marvels. John L. Savage the engineer who supervised the design of the Hhoover Ddam and many other dams in the Uunited Sstates.The Hhoover Ddam It was originally known as Boulder Dam but was renamed in 1947 in honor of Herbert Hoover who was U.S. secretary of commerce and the 31st U.S. president proved instrumental in getting the dam built. The Hoover Dam rises 726 feet and is 1200 feet wide …show more content…
The finished dam contains enough concrete, 4.5 million cubic yards, to build a two-lane highway from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida.More than 8.5 million pounds of dynamite was used to blast the foundation for the dam and 8 miles of tunnels through the canyon walls. Why did they build the Hoover Dam?The main reason for building the Hoover Dam was to supply the electrical power necessary to transport 4.4 million acre-feet—over a quarter of the Colorado River's average annual flow to California. Soon, the dam also would supply water to Las Vegas, whose revenue would be used to finance …show more content…
Even prior to its completion however, concerns were expressed over the potential impacts of Hoover Dam on aquatic systems.The cost of the Hhoover Ddam was 49 million dollars.The owner of the Hhoover Ddam are the Uunited Sstates government. The government was to provide the materials but the contractor was to prepare the site and build the dam. Oover 7,000 dam workers that endured harsh conditions and extreme dangers to completed the Hoover Dam almost two years ahead of schedule. But all cuz of the hoover dam they gave a lot people jobs to support their family.Workers and their familiesy had hard times because there familiesy had to move away where they use to live at cuz they had to move closer to the dam.The familiesfamilys lived in like home made teints so they didn'tdidnt live very well. After awhile of building the Hoover dam they werewheir building houses so that they can live better than they use to. Its good becausecuz the workerswokers and their familiesy lived better than they use to. Between 1931 and 1936 when the dam was built, 96 men were killed in industrial accidents. None were buried in the concrete. The Hoover Dam is shaped like a huge curved axe head, 45 ft. wide at the top and 660 ft. thick at the bottom.The Colorado River is more than 1,400 miles long and supplies water to Los Angeles, San

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Tacoma’s power is top in the area for renewable hydroelectric energy that serves to more then 135,000 northwest homes. Cowlitz River Project fulfills being the top hydroelectric power houses by the water stored being Mayfield and Mossy Rock dams. Mossy Rock was built in 1968 that formed Riffe lake, which is 23.5 miles long. Mayfield dam was built in 1963 that runs 13 miles long in length. Nearly 14,000 acres of land surrounding the hydroelectric dam takes place for recreational activities like day parks, boating and fishing. Tacoma power funds the Cowlitz wildlife area, and Washington Department of fish and wildlife manages it. Depending on the electricity demand the gates can either be opened or closed, and power can be produced at any time (Tacoma Public Utilities,…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Completed in 1962, the 710 foot tall dam built out of 4.9 million cubic yards of concrete has a reservoir (Lake Powell) that has a maximum capacity of 27 million acre-feet and is the one of the largest reservoirs in the world. Lake Powell has become a popular water recreation site and provides homes with about 1 million kilowatts of hydroelectric power and 8.23 million acre-feet of water and irrigation per year. Dominy views the dam as a great asset, both to provide utilities and to provide recreation - "Now people can fish, swim, water-ski, sun-bathe. Can't you imagine going there with your family for a weekend, getting away from everybody? But Mr. Brower says we destroyed it." (174)…

    • 1472 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    7.05h World History

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Aswan Dam is situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt. It is also known as the High Dam. The dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970, and had a significant impact on the economy and culture of Egypt.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The history of the lake goes all the way back to 1951, when a dam was built, as well as a concrete passage on 5th Avenue. The initial design was…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Elwha Dam Research Paper

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When the Elwha Dam was demolished it was the largest controlled sediment release in a dam removal project anywhere in the world. Because of the amount of sediment behind large dams like the Elwha, the demolition must be done gradually over time to ensure that there is not an overflow of sediment rushed down the river which could cause significant damage to the landscape and the organisms which inhabit it. At the time of the dam removal the Elwha was holding behind it 15,000,000 cubic yards of silt. Sediment buildup isn't the only thing that dams can change about the soil. Many geological occurrences have been blamed on dams.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Grand Coulee Dam Analysis

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This documentary is narrated by a man named Ben Knight. He is a directed and cinematographer for many film. This film is about the importance and consequences in which dams will provide. Dams are very expensive, take years to build and they are also can be very deadly during the construction phase. However, the cost of removing a dam is just as expensive for tax payers and city legislatures. Dams do provide hydropower energy to generate mills and also provide water storage. Two of the most common dam are: Hoover Dam in Arizona and Grand Coulee Dam in Washington. The Elwha Dam is located in Washington and is the home of the Elwha River. Salmon habitats are a pride and joy in the Elwha River but in 1910 when construction began the habitats were destroyed.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Johnstown Flood Analysis

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Having taken classes about Pennsylvania history in high school and being familiar with this horrible flood, I was very happy with this book. The author, David McCullough, does a masterful job setting the scene, the politics surrounding the dam and the subsequent failure of that dam. Johnstown was a typical American town for that day and time. People worked hard and earned little. The environment was polluted to some extent, but no one considered it a major issue. Nearly everyone considered the dam a threat, but only a few moved to improve the conditions. Huge disparities existed between the rich, the middle class and the poor. These disparities were more than money, but…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Numerous dams were built on the Colorado and its tributaries during the twentieth century. The purpose of these dams was primarily to generate electricity, control floods, provide a more steady water source for surrounding areas, and provide recreational opportunities. They also store water during wet times for use during the dry months. The basin dams are able to store more than 86 cubic meters of water. The largest of these dams, was complete in 1936 – The Hoover Dam, which is located on the boarder between Arizona and Nevada.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The once untamed Colorado River was set to be cultivated in 1931 by the Bureau of Reclamation. It was to be tamed by the Hoover Dam, the biggest man made thing in the whole world. The place of this great achievement was in between two hulking masses of sedimentary rock at Black Canyon, Nevada. The dam intentionally had its purposes, for example its production would supply jobs in the time of the Great Depression. As well as, curb the rapid floods that frequently deluded Southern California(?). Then in return the Dam would reply with a clean source of electricity to neighboring states as well as distribute water. Though, some unanticipated effects the Dam caused are still marked vaguely into the canyon years later. Despite that, the Hoover…

    • 1083 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ohio River Research Paper

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It is the source of drinking water for over 3 million people who live along the river. Over 25 million people (10% of the US population) live within the Ohio River basin. It is regulated by a series of ten dams controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers. This helps provide many jobs to citizens in the US. The downfall to the dam system though is the negative effects it has on the river habitat. One example of this is the mussel species that live in the river. At one time there were 80 species of mussels living in the river, but today there are only 50 with 5 species in danger of becoming extinct. Even with the bad effects the river is starting to have it still is a great way to transport goods and services toward the west of the country. The Southern Illinois that most know of today is nothing like it was back then. Today Illinois is a friendly place for the whole family to visit. There are many different things to do and see. At a glance the Ohio River has definitely played a big role in Southern Illinois, despite the violence that came along with the river. The area has changed a lot since the early eighteen hundreds and will continue to change as time goes…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During World War II in November 1939, U.S. officials found out that Hoover Dam was targeted by German agents to be bombed, by planting bombs at the intake towers to sabotage the manufacturing industry of Southern California. Private boats were prohibited in the Black Canyon, after authorities learned of the plot. Security measures such as physical barriers and increased lighting were put in place and stricter regulations for dam employees and visitors were enacted. For the duration of the war the dam was closed to visitors, following the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941. The Army provided personnel to help guard and protect the dam although the dam had its own police force. In order to evade aerial attacks, camouflaging the Hoover Dam…

    • 163 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Twin tunnels

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The goal of the Twin Tunnels is to divert water from the Sacramento River, and around the Bay and delta area to distribute it to San Joaquin Valley agriculture business and also Southern California's cities and surrounding areas. The total cost of the project is estimated to be above $69 billion. State officials are want to try to put the project in without voter approval. The tunnels are a part of a restoration idea called the "Bay Delta Conservation Plan" or the "(BDCP)". While the "BDCP" tells people that the projects are a “conservation measure,” the only actual benefits are "state and federal water contractors who consider their water supplies unreliable" and also the union who would employ the workers for this project. Basically, the habitat conservation and restoration part of the "BDCP" is not much more than a "overpriced9 project that will destroy the Delta. And to add on to all of this if the Twin Tunnels do not deliver water at a reasonable cost, the undefined financing for the project would most likely make for a massive tax bill for ratepayers, taxpayers, and water agencies. This would place a large economic struggle on the State of California, and their approval would be far from positive response. In the event of the utility companies failing to par or being sued, the property owners in the areas that contain this project and the state treasury will be responsible to repay the costs.…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Haiti Earthquake

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The worst natural disaster in history, the central china floods occurred, from July to August in 1931, when the Yangtze River overflowed and caused a series of floods. As a result of the massive flooding, an estimated 3.7 million people died from drowning, disease and starvation. Over one-fourth of China’s population were affected by the floods. Wives and daughters were sold by desperate people, and in some cases that were reported, there was cases of infanticide ( the intentional killing of infant girls) and also cannibalism. The high water was reached on the 19th of August. The water level was over 53 ft. 200,000 people had drowned in their sleep. Since there wasn’t any money to spare because of the war, they were only able to put up small dams to keep the water at bay on the Yangtze River. When the civil war was over, the Chinese communist party started the Gorges Dam Flood Control project. Which did not successfully take off until the 1980’s and went full operation in 2012. Becoming the world’s largest power…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the heavy rainfall fell on mountainsides and already saturated soil, the water would then run off and go down the creeks and canyons toward the lowest point of the landscape, the Los Angeles River. (Roderick 1) The river began in the San Fernando Valley and the ranches and towns that were there located in that area were cut off by engorged canyon washes spilling their banks. All the bridges were being submerged and washed out by rapid amount of water riding. (Roderick 1) In the San Gabriel Mountains, after the gates opened on Big Tujunga Dam, the situation turned worse by releasing even more water across Los Angeles. The overflow that had came down was uncontrollable for the city of Los Angeles and continued to destroy many aspects as the rainfall continued until 7 p.m.(Liquid) March 3rd. Although the rainfall stopped, the mountains continued submerging the city of Los Angeles under inches of rain into the Santa Ana rivers and caused it to continuously rise and putting many citizens and victims in danger. This flood was considered a 50-year flood because it had a 2 percent change of occurring any given…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A factor which determines the success of a project is how it contributes to the people benefiting from it. The Guri Dam contributed to changes in regional patterns in that people living near it are no longer enjoy the bliss brought about by rain (Krasting, 2011). Furthermore, there has not been any continuous monitoring or risk in order for it to be considered as successful. Considering that damming a river with a large hydroelectric plant can submerge hundreds of square miles of land under its reservoir, any homes in the reservoir’s flood zone will be submerged as well and consequently affects the people living nearby (EnvironmentalScience.org, 2015).…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays